With what I hope is good timing for you, I’ve added a new set of ready-to-stitch towels (called Spring Variety) to the shop here on Needle ‘n Thread, to go along with a new supply of Floral Corners towels, too.

Many of us are a little isolated right now, and we might be feeling a bit anxious. I know I am!

In these circumstances, I think stitching – and really, any hobby or craft – is therapeutic. It calms the nerves and provides a creative escape from present worries. It gives us something to concentrate on, so that we can avoid hyper-focusing on things that we have little control over. It helps us maintain an inner peace.

With all of this in mind, I put together this springy, cheerful, ready-to-stitch towel set. It’s ok, after all, to still find joy in the good things that we can do!

Spring Variety is a packet of three 27″ x 27″ white cotton flour sack towels with corner hanging loops, each featuring a pre-transferred spring design on it. Each design is completely different from the others. One design is a corner design, and the other two are centered above the lower edge of the towel.

I’ve stitched all these designs and shown them in one way or another here on Needle ‘n Thread. They’re fun to stitch, and they don’t require a certain skill level. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or an expert stitcher, you can embroider the designs as simply or as intricately as you wish.

Embroidering the Three Spring Designs

Below, you’ll find links to various articles where you can find information on how I embroidered the designs.

This is the spring corner design included in Spring Variety. It’s situated on the corner opposite the hanging tag on the towel.

For threads, I used DMC stranded cotton, using mostly two strands but sometimes three. I chose whatever colors struck me as particularly spring-like! Since color preferences are such a personal thing, I encourage you to choose whatever colors you think will bring your embroidery to life.

If you want some stitching suggestions and pointers on the stitches I used, check out this article.

The finished towel served as a liner for an Easter basket.

This is a variation of a butterfly garden design I worked up last year. In the towel set, the design is situated in the center base of the towel.

When I embroidered this little garden scene, I used colors that I associated with high summer, but you can choose spring, summer, or even autumn colors for your scene. All the stitching is done in two and three strands of DMC floss.

You can read more about the design and the stitches in this article.

Finally, there’s this simple flower line design. It’s 9″ wide and situated at the center base of the towel.

I originally embroidered this design on a pillow case, and you can see the completed design and read about the design and stitches in these two articles:

Stylized Flower Line – Tips

Stylized Flower Line – Finished

For the towels, the design is condensed somewhat.

The designs on these ready-to-stitch towels are a clean, soft blue-gray, and they feature a slightly finer line compared to my previous transfers. The lines fade significantly after the first laundering and will fade further with subsequent laundering, but you should still strive to cover the lines completely with the embroidery.

You don’t need anything special to stitch the towels! Grab a hoop, a needle (I like a #7 crewel), and some of your favorite colors in your favorite floss and you’re ready to go! I recommend using two or three strands of quality cotton floss (DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Cosmo, for example) for the stitching.

Use your favorite stitches or experiment with new stitches to interpret the designs in any way you wish. You’ll find plenty of stitch instructions here on Needle ‘n Thread, or you can use your own stitch dictionary as a guide.

Towel Sets are in the Shop!

You’ll find the Spring Variety ready-to-stitch towel set available here.

You’ll also find a limited supply of Floral Corners ready-to-stitch towels available, if you’ve been waiting for those. If you’re uncertain of choosing your own stitches and of which stitch should go where – or you’ve never done this type of surface embroidery before, you might also benefit from the e-book instructions and stitch guide for Floral Corners, which you’ll find here.

My apologies to international stitchers: due to exorbitant postage rates with no guarantee of timely (or even certain) arrival, the towel sets are only available for domestic shipping at this time. However, if you are interested in placing a bulk order of four or more towel sets, please contact me and we can talk about it.