Bridal Shower Gift

I had a dilemma.  Since I got into crafting, I've been trying to save money by making gifts.  When I was invited to my sister-in-law's bridal shower, I knew I wanted to make her something cute to bring into her new home.  I also wanted it to be useful.  A bridal shower is really about getting the bride things to help her set up her new home and life with hubby.

Even though I like to do crafts, I am not always that great at them.  Plus, my husband's family is SUPER talented at sewing and stuff, so if I'm going to give something I made as a gift, I knew I had to keep it simple.

I decided to buy her something off her registry, then make something to match it.  So, I bought her these mixing bowls, then bought fabric to make these ruffled dishcloths (thank you Rebekah at McGee and Me).

These were simple and turned out so cute!  I did one thing differently than Rebekah's tutorial- I used my machine to create a basting stitch down the length of the fabric, then pulled the bobbin thread to create the ruffles.  I'd say each one took me about 20 minutes, and that was with interruptions from my children.

I know ruffles are all the rage these days, but I really like the double-edged ruffle tacked down like this.  It just gives it a feminine, yet timeless look.

I think these, given with the bowls and a coordinating dish drying mat, will meet all my guidelines:  cute, functional, frugal, and thoughtful.

Let's hope she thinks so too.