State Appliquéd Dish Towels

My mother-in-law’s birthday is coming up and I wanted to get her something special. I started brainstorming and came up with…nothing. Oh boy.

After that bit of anticlimactic brainstorming, I knew it was time to call in reinforcements!

My friend, Laura, has an Etsy shop, One Blue Eye Birdie. I love what she creates, especially the state appliquéd pillows.

I just couldn’t figure out how to work one into my current decor. Clearly, my life has huge problems. (sarcasm alert)

If you are my mother-in-law, you should probably stop reading now. Birthday spoilers ahead!

That’s when inspiration hit me over the head. What if I begged and pleaded asked her to make state appliquéd dish towels instead? Some of my kids’ most precious memories are of the time they spent with Grandma whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, so I thought this would be a great gift. Fun, yet still useful.

Come to mama! Aren’t these towels amazing? I seriously contemplated keeping them for myself.

My mother-in-law has 3 kids. (I’m partial to her eldest son, by the way.) These towels represent the 3 different states her kids live in: Alaska, Georgia and Oregon. (The family is a wee bit spread out these days!)

Look how tricky it was to stitch Alaska onto this towel! Since I have to read the manual every time I get out my sewing machine, I am in awe of my friend’s sewing talent.

Laura, of One Blue Eyed Birdie, was one of the first people to befriend us when we moved to Georgia. She’s funny, smart, generous of spirit and super talented.

She’s also a hero to the stranded motorist. There’s that one time when I left my key fob on top of my car and drove away. Um, yeah. That wasn’t my brightest moment. When you turn off your car and don’t have your key fob, you can’t turn your car back on. DOH!!!

Laura to the rescue! I’m forever grateful to her for helping me out. It could have been a long walk home that day.

When she’s not rescuing me, watching my kids, or sewing cool pillows, Laura also does monogramming. Definitely check out the clutches, ring dishes and coasters. I told you, uber-talented!

When I picked the towels up from Laura at the bus stop last week, she had them all tied up with this pretty yellow ribbon.

These towels are so fun, pretty and happy! But, do you know what makes me the happiest? Good friends. They are priceless!

If you do check out One Blue Eyed Birdie on Etsy or Facebook, let her know I sent you. She doesn’t have the towels up on Etsy, but you can send her a message if you’re interested.

P.S. One Blue Eyed Birdie was taking a shop break, last I checked. Here are some other Etsy shops with similar state appliquéd dish towels.

State Flour Sack Towels by Hen House Originals

State Tea Towels by Rky Mtn Crafts

State Dish Towels with RicRac by Piecefully Home

*affiliate links*

This has been fun! Thanks for stopping by. If you’re interested in reading more, you might enjoy one of these.

Leather Map from Old Boots – Seriously! I cut up old boots!

Braided Denim Pumpkin

Travel: Eiffel Tower with Kids