I’ve spent the past month, re-finishing my sewing/guest room. While I love the now bare pine floors, shelves-all-around etc., I sorely missed my workspace (not to mention the creation time.) The room refinishing is only 90% complete, but that’s complete enough to work in, and I really needed to take a break and enjoy it. My oldest friend also just had her second child, so I had the perfect excuse to go play on my machines instead of finishing my work.
I decided to try machine embroidered towels!
I put the 4 animals representing my friend’s family’s Chinese zodiacs. She is a dog, her husband a snake, her son a rabbit and her new little daughter is a horse. I got all 4 designs off the Stitchitize.com website, for free using the insane number of coupons that came with the embroidery machine.
I used 2 stabilizers: A medium-weight, cutaway on the bottom (fusible, so I ironed it on) and a soluble saran-wrap like stabilizer on the top to keep the needle from catching in the loops of the terry cloth. I used OESD Washaway Aquafilm. It was so sticky and light it was quite difficult to actually get it hooped straight and taut. Having now tried 2 types, I think I prefer the thicker, less-sticky Solvy, although I’m sure there’s some reason the thinner stabilizer gives more professional results.
Work in progress… (yes a wine cup AND a coffee cup)
What.. TWO machines? 
I had an assembly line setup. I was embroidery the terry cloth, and then sewing a red fur lining to the towel so that they could be used as a blankie OR a towel.
And then I added their names….
Here’s the back…
And here’s, sewing the red fur lining onto the towels.
And finished:) (Pardon the over-exposed blackberry picture.)
I also later discovered that Cassandra was NOT a horse… she is a snake like her dad. But her mom and I both agreed that the horse was nicer anyways. Otherwise it would look like two snakes ganging up on the rabbit, with the dog just sleeping through it. Ya… that’s right…. It’s better with my mistake 