Heirloom Butterflies Kitchen Boa

 

Without a towel when you need one? This fun project ensures that you will always have a towel at hand when you need it most.

Whether you are washing the dog, gardening, or working in the kitchen, it is helpful to have a hand towel within easy reach. The solution? A kitchen boa!

What is a Kitchen Boa?

Basically, a kitchen boa is a strip of fabric with towels on each end that is worn around your neck. That keeps towels right at your fingertips for wiping, drying, or handling hot items.

Most kitchen boas use a quarter-yard of fabric, measuring nine inches by the width of fabric. Because I used Sew Inspired by Bonnie’s Wing Needle Butterflies designs, which measure five inches wide, I cut my fabric 12 inches wide rather than nine.

I love heirloom embroidery and chose Wing Needle Butterflies numbers four (R) and five (L)

to complement the soft floral fabric, with thread colors to match.

Making the Kitchen Boa

Hoop a fabric-type water-soluble stabilizer and mark center crosshairs. Fold the 12 x 44 inch piece of fabric in half, wrong sides together, and lightly press both ends. Open and line up the fold with the center crosshair marked on the stabilizer and secure fabric to the stabilizer.

The first color stitches with a wing needle. I used a size 100 (the larger the wing needle, the larger the pretty heirloom holes). Before stitching, turn your hand wheel one rotation to make sure the needle clears the throat plate and bobbin race.If it doesn't clear, your needle isn't in all the way. You can use a regular needle if you like, but it will not make the heirloom hole that a wing needle creates.

Stitch one design on each end of the fabric strip. When embroidery is finished, remove everything from the hoop and trim excess stabilizer.

Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, and stitch the long edge using a quarter-inch seam allowance. Turn right side out and press with the seam centered in the back and embroidery centered on the front.

Fold under edges one-half inch and press.

Attaching the Towels

Cut towels to desired length and gather or pleat the tops to the width of the fabric tube.

 

Insert towels on each open end and stitch to attach.

 

I love how the wing needle stitching adds a soft, watercolor  background effect. (Oops, I see a thread that I didn't clip!)

 

This turned out so cute, I can’t wait to find some pretty towels and make more. Grandma used her apron, you can use a kitchen boa!