The kitchen is definitely one of the most practical and well used rooms in the house. It is a space in which we moms spend a large percentage of our time. Who wants to work in a dull, boring and uninspiring room? None of us do and that is why it is a good idea to make your kitchen as welcoming as possible. There are a number of ways that you can jazz up your kitchen but one of the easiest and most affordable is through the use of textiles.
Kitchen textiles such as tea towels, oven gloves and aprons don’t have to have monotonous checkered patterns that look like they are from the 70’s. No, they can be modern, homely and extremely cute. Most moms will have a sewing machine or a basic sewing kit and you can use this to overhaul your kitchen fabrics.
Check out your tea towel collection. If it is anything like mine (or like mine used to be!) then you probably have an abundance of cloths that were once white but have worn and faded with washing. Basic white tea towels are really cheap to buy and usually come in a pack of three. Get yourself a pack and decide on a color theme. I chose baby pink and a sage green. Use a fabric dye on two of your tea towels in one of your chosen colors but leave one white. Dyes are about $2.00 per jar and last for ages. Have a scout around your home and try and find some old fabrics, maybe from old clothes, that can be cut up and used on your tea towel project. I decided to go for an “English Tea Party” theme on my towels and therefore cut tea cup and tea pot shapes out of my old fabrics. I layered the shapes that I had cut out on to one of my dyed towels and pinned them into place. I then loaded my sewing machine with a bright pink thread and stitched the shapes into place. The stitching worked as a nice border and added extra decoration. I did exactly the same thing on my other dyed towel so that they matched. For the blank towel I used complimentary cupcake shapes and a green thread. The result was fantastic. By a simple process of dying and applique I had transformed a boring kitchen accessory into something that the kids loved to use when they dried the dishes!
You can use the same process to brighten up your aprons and other kitchen textiles. Stick with the same design for continuity and your friends will be envious of your (homemade) designer kitchen ware!
About me:
This article is written by Vicky Dean who is an avid crafter. She enjoys writing about all things craft related, especially textiles. She has a passion for customized home ware such as personalised tea towels and cushions as well as being completely in love with modern furniture and design.
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