These towels were a hostess gift to an incredibly generous couple at our church who recently returned from a medical mission trip to Ghana. The Dr. Lyle Wadsworth and his nurse wife Gayle invited a group of friends for dinner and a slide show of their experiences. It was an amazing evening in so many ways!
But first let me tell you about the towels. I have expounded in earlier posts on the suitability of dishtowels for gifts. They are always the right size, always useful, and even if the recipient does not like them, they needn’t be displayed. It’s not so small as to be insignificant like this
nor so extravagant as to make the recipient feel beholden as this would.
With these considerations in mind, I thought a set of dishtowels would be just the right hostess gift for a delicious dinner and a most entertaining evening.
Several years ago when my daughter and her husband toured Africa, they brought me a few yards of African fabric, made in Tanzania. At the time I wondered if I would ever find a use for it, but AHA! It was perfect for this applique and the towels.
The heart marks the approximate location of Ghana.
The design is from etsy and a quick google search helped me locate tiny Ghana on this vast continent. A heart from my design library marked the spot and text was added to note the location and date of their trip.
A Dakota Collectible design embroidered on an All About Blanks towel.
The embroidery on the middle towel is a Dakota Collectible design. Both continent shape designs were embroidered on my favorite All About Blanks towels. I keep a hefty supply on hand, prewashed, starched and ready for embroidery and any occasion.
The design is from Apex Embroidery.
The third towel used the African fabric for the hem. The elephant family seems to be marching purposefully along that ethnic fabric. The design is from Apex Embroidery, one of my favorite sites, and was a perfect compliment for the busy tribal hem.
Let me tell you about our friends adventures. They were overwhelmed by the gratitude and kindness of the Ghanese people. Six hundred and one patients were treated by the single doctor and nurse, assisted by several local Ghanese helpers. Another helper was their 17 yo grandson who accompanied them on this extraordinary mission.
In a city of 1.5 million people, their clinic was held in a private school that had no running water. That was sobering. Across the street from their “hotel” were pitifully small and primitive homes with no electricity and no water. Daily they prayed for the Ghanese people and their patients. Hearing the narrative of their mission and seeing the images of the clinic and surrounding area, we dinner guests were made even more aware of the comforts and blessings of our lives in America. It was a very moving evening.
