Dish Towel Tutorial
Do your dish towels get worn out? Mine sure do. It is quick and easy to whip out some more. For your fabrics, I suggest a high quality cotton fabric or a linen. The tighter the weave, the more absorbent it will be. Do not use polyester, because it is not as absorbent. Being that they will be washed often, you will want to prewash your fabric. You can make plain dish towels or add embellishments such as embroidery, applique, or put a band of contrasting fabric at the bottom.
Supply List:
*Affiliate amazon links below.
Fabric – Cotton or Linen – 3/4 yard will make 2 towels
Optional – Twill Tape
Optional – Piping (21″ of cording and a piece of matching scrap fabric – 21″ x 2″)
Washing & Pressing:
Dish towels will be washed often, so I recommend that you pre-wash your fabric and iron out all the wrinkles.
Cutting:
Cut fabric out at 21″ x 28″. They will end up two inches smaller because you will press under the edges.
Watch video on YouTube here:
Pressing under edges to make mitered corner
**See below to add contrasting fabric for a different method**
Press 1/2″ under to wrong side of fabric on all edges.
Next, you will grab one corner and fold right sides together, with the pressed under edges even. You will end up with a diagonal fold in the fabric.
Pull out the tip of the corner that is folded under.
Mark a 90 degree angle from the folded edge.
Sew:
Sew a seam on the drawn line, being sure to backstitch at the beginning and the end.
Trim the seam. Start about 1/4″ away from seam and angle the cut to the stitching closest to the fold., being mindful not to cut into the stitching.
Open the seam. Hold your finger over the open seam and turn to outside.
Poke the corner out. I use my ‘purple thang”. Yes, that’s what it is called.
Repeat on all four corners. This automatically forms another 1/2″ turned under.
Press that additional 1/2″ seam now.
To add a hanger, cut a piece of twill tape that is 5″ long. You will sew this into the seam on the top left corner. Cut an angle on the twill tape so it fits inside the seam.
Sew 1/8″ from the edge, pivoting on the seam in the corner.
For Contrasting Border Fabric at the bottom:
You can add a different fabric at the bottom to enhance the look of your towel. (Oh you fancy, huh?)
Cut the main fabric 21″ x 22 1/2″. Cut the contrasting border fabric 21″ x 5 1/2″.
You can add piping in between the fabrics. However, for a smoother transition, do not add the cording. You will just have the additional scrap fabric between the two.
Add the cording inside a 2″ strip of fabric and sew a seam with a zipper foot close to the cording to make your piping.
Add the piping to the bottom of the main fabric, stitching on the same seam you just sewed. (You can make the piping and sew it on as you go if you are confident.
Next, add the contrasting fabric to that. Put right sides together and sew from the back to make sure you sew over the same stitching so that that seam does not show on the front side.
Follow the rest of the instructions above starting at the ‘Pressing Under Edges to Make Mitered Corners.’
I ended up topstitching the seam down and trimming with pinking shears.
To add embroidery:
Fold your towel in thirds, then fold in half lengthwise to find the center of where you want your embroidery to go.
It depends on the size of your embroidery design, where you will place it.
Here are some of my examples >>>>
Here are some more quick gifts to whip up.
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