I've been embroidering dishcloths. I look at them not only as something to dry the dishes with, but as kitchen art. So I'm working on a pair with square dancers. Pintrest is a great source of vintage embroidery motifs.
I trace the designs on water soluble stabilizer--make sure to draw on the smooth side. If you draw on the bumpy side it takes forever to dry. Machine baste the stabilizer to your fabric and stitch away. When you're done, throw the towel in the wash and it comes out completely.
Here's a finished pair. These I embroidered with big chunky stitches, while the square dancers are done with 2 strands of floss and small stitches because the design is more detailed.
Another idea from Pintrest: I cut up a vintage tablecloth into quarters. Three were trimmed with rick rack and seam binding from my vintage stash. The fourth has a big hole it in, so it goes back into the drawer until another idea strikes.
They're the perfect size. On number 3 I realized a loop on one corner could be handy.
