Kissy Birds Tea Towels

It doesn't have to cost a fortune to create a cute gift. I found these 100% cotton tea towels at my local deep discount store for less than a dollar each. Download and size the template to the right size for your towels. The template is at http://v5-static.ehowcdn.com/media/docs/holiday/christmas/birds_v2.pdf

Cut each of the pieces (bird bodies, hats, mistletoe leaves, etc.) out of the paper template. Following the manufacturer's instructions, trace and cut the pieces out of the fusible web and the colored felt.

With the towels folded in thirds, position each bird and its features (scarf, hat) on a tea towel, centering the birds so they will "kiss" when the towels hang together. Cut the mistletoe feature in half and position the halves on each tea towel so they also line up when the towels are together.

Open the towel out flat and following the manufacturer's instructions, fuse the felt pieces to the towel. TIP: a towel placed over the piece before ironing will protect the felt from a too-hot iron but still provide a strong fuse.

Using a fine-tip black marker, draw the eyes, wings and legs.

To protect the appliques through multiple washings, I used embroidery thread (2 strands) to hand-stitch around each of the felt features and to outline the eyes, wings and legs. Stitch tiny white pom-poms to the mistletoe to form the berries, and a larger white pom-pom to the female's hat. Cut two pieces of ribbon or bric-a-brac. Make a loop and stitch one to each side of the mistletoe. I added the holiday greeting to tie in with my daughter's French kitchen theme.

Iron the towel from the back to flatten the fabric around the stitching.