i choose joy ~ a painted linen dish towel

this is one of the “blanks” of cotton dishtowels, and i usually purchase them for about $5 at a quilting store.  you can also buy fabric to make your own, too.  

for the motif, i chose a stencil, and blending the colors, again, using the silks acrylic paints.  it’s important to use a bit of a dryer brush, and brush from the stencil’s outward edges, onto the open spaces.  

and be sure to stabilize prior to quilting.  the cotton weave of the towel is a very open one, so the stitching is a bit of  a “sketchy look” {which i like}, but what i really want to do is avoid unsightly puckering.  and because this is a towel that will be used and washed, i didn’t want a piece of white stabilizer hanging out on the back when was finished.

so this time, i chose a clear stabilizer, “badge master” which is a water soluble stabilizer. just one layer of this stabilizer is all you need for this project.  and it washes out very easily in warm water.  i soak mine in a bowl for about 20 minutes until it softens up the stabilizer {it kinda turns milky white} and then rinse, press, and it’s ready to go.

and of course i adhered it using the 505 spray:

i wanted to show you the backside again, after quilting the words, too.  you definitely need to stabilize where you think you’re going to quilt the words.  don’t forget that part!

i like to add what i’d have to call only a hint of extra shading, and highlighting.  this i did with yellow thread, and pink.  i outlined it very “freely” with black thread to add punch to the overall design.  you could choose to add more black quilting lines to show more of the leaf lines or shape.  totally your preference {or not to do any at all!}

again, no worries about staying in the lines perfectly… just make a creative, joyFUL piece of quilting delight, and practical application!  

it’s a win either way ~ you learn, you grow, and then you give.  or give it away {yourself or the towel}…