Make an Anthropologie-Inspired Ribbon Heart Tea Towel

Anthropologie sells the most delightful tea towels. The cheerful colors and patterns always make me smile. The only downer? The price tag. I spotted their ribbon heart towel and was inspired to make my own version - without sewing! Do-it-yourself tea towels are a simple way to spruce up your kitchen decor for Valentine's Day.

Supplies

• Flour sack tea towel
• A selection of 5 different ribbons:
• 40cm (16in) of 1 ribbon
• 25cm (10in) of 3 ribbons
• 12cm (5in) of 1 ribbon
• Peel 'n Stick Fabric Fuse tape
• Red embroidery thread
• Embroidery needle

1. Prepare Ribbon Pieces

Step 1

Cut the ribbon pieces. I used five different styles of various shades of pink. Cut two 12cm (5in) pieces from four of the ribbons and cut one 12cm (5in) piece from the last ribbon.

Step 2

Cut two 7.5cm (3in) pieces of ribbon for the edges of the heart.

Step 3

Apply the fusable tape to the back of each ribbon piece. Trim the width of the tape if needed.

2. Place Heart on Towel

Step 1

Measure along the length to find the center of your towel. From the center, put a small mark 10cm (4in) from the bottom of the towel.

Step 2

Before you tape the ribbon pieces down, you should first lay out the heart pattern. Starting with the center ribbon, place it so that it ends at your 10cm mark. Work your way out, mirroring the same ribbon on each side and staggering the heights of the ribbons. Place the 7.5cm ribbon pieces on the end.

Step 3

When you're happy with the heart arrangement, start taping down the ribbon pieces. Again start with the center piece. Peel off the other side of the tape and press the ribbon firmly to the towel.

Step 4

Keep placing ribbon pieces, keeping them close together. You can use a ruler to make sure the ribbon heights are even. I eyeballed mine, and the end pieces are off a tiny bit!

3. Stitch the Edge

Thread the embroidery thread onto the needle and stitch small 'X's and 'O's along the bottom length of the towel.

Hang Your Towel

In this tutorial, you learned how to use ribbon and fabric tape to make an Anthropologie-inspired tea towel without sewing. You can use this technique for many craft and fashion projects.

You can use this towel just for decoration, or put it to use in the kitchen. The fusable tape should survive the washing machine! I've done several projects with the tape, and they are still going strong after many washes.

If you loved this project, don't miss our other Valentine's Day tutorials.