Dia de los Muertos Dish Towels

My Day of the Dead preparations are ramping up as the air gets crisp and the leaves begin to turn. YAY!

(Click images to see a close-up)

First Stop: Dish Towels. I'm trying to inject a little more personality and style into the practical day-to-day aspects of our home; and what is more practical than dishtowels?

I've never appliqued before so I had no idea what to expect. In short, it's fun but sort-of slow work. Kind of like coloring in a detailed stamped image with Copics.

When the dishtowels looked like this: 

I called them done and started taking pictures before they set to work mopping up spilled cacciatore.

The boys had a different impression entirely.

Boys: So how are you going to embellish them?

Me: I'm not, they're done.

Boys: Come on mom, you've gone this far...make them special.

Me: Do you know how many times these will be washed???

Boys: How 'bout ric-rac?

*sigh*

Since I'm not a sewist, I'll spare you the tutorial. All I did was cut out cute images from fabric making sure to leave a border around each shape for fraying. Then I pinned them down - skeleton hands are teeny - and sewed very slowly around the perimeter of the image. My only advice is to pin, pin, pin and pin some more. When you think you've used enough pins, add a couple.