Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial

Monday, December 5, 2011

Today I have a fun and easy tutorial for you! I have been trying every holiday season to make as many gifts as I can, but my budget is still small. These embellished towels don't cost a lot of time or money but look awfully sweet!

This was originally published as a guest tutorial on Quilt Story.

This is a super quick, scrappy project, if you know the basics of using a sewing machine, you can make them! I'm showing you how to embellish towels three different ways, but the possibilities are endless! Here are the three we'll be making:

The Patchwork Towel
Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order

The Striped Towel
Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order

The Hexagon Towel
Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order

My towels are 18"x24", I purchased my dish towels at a discount store last year. (These look similar in size.) I added the fabric embellishment across the short edge. You can add or subtract patchwork or hexagons to accommodate your towels! If you're super ambitious you could make your own towels, linen ones would be especially lovely! The Purl Bee has a great Quick Dish Towel Tutorial! Now, let's get started!

Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order
Sewing Level: Intermediate


Materials:
- Fabric scraps
- Plain dish towels (similar to mine)
- Coordinating thread
- 1" paper piecing hexagons (Print your own here, or buy here)
- Water soluble pen (optional)

Seam Allowances: 1/4"

For the Striped Towel, Cut:
- (3) 1.5"x18.5" strips

For the Patchwork Towel, cut:
- (9) 2.5"x3.5" pieces

For the Hexagon Towel, cut:
- (11) 2.5" squares

Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order
1. Assemble your fabric into a strip.

For Patchwork: Sew together all 9 pieces into a long strip, along the 3.5" sides. Press.

For Strips: Sew together all 3 strips, along the long sides. Press.

For Hexagons: Create hexagons and stitch together in a long strip. For more on paper-piecing hexagons, I recommend this tutorial!

Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color OrderFabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order
2. For Patchwork or Striped towels, turn under 1/4" on all four sides. My trick for making this easier, is to draw a line 1/2" from the edge with my water soluble pen, then fold the raw edge against that lines. Helps you get a straighter fold!

For Hexagons: Press your strip gently, then remove your basting threads and the papers. Press again.

Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order

Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order
3. Now it's time to pin your pieced fabrics to the bottom edge of the towel! Carefully topstitch around all the edges. For the hexagons especially, take advantage of the needle-down function on your machine so that you can pivot easily!

Fabric Embellished Dish Towels Tutorial - In Color Order
Voila, you're done! These would make a great holiday gift on their own or along with a cookbook or some cute spatulas/spoons!

Enjoy!

19 comments :

  1. They are so lovely.
    Thank you to show us.
    I will try to make some ones.
    By by

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  2. Pretty dish towels always help when it comes to getting motivated to do the dishes.
    And lizzy dish!!! = perfect fabric :)

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  3. Where are you finding plain dish towels like what you are using? Hope to find some soon so that I can make some. Thanks!

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  4. Very cute idea, I have a bunch of Christmas scraps hanging out on the sewing table... going to find me a few towels and use them up! thanks for the tutorial!

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  5. I really like the one with the hexies! :)

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  6. These are really great!! And such a useful way to use up those scraps!

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  7. They look great! I have a bit of an obsession with nice dishtowels, so this tutorial is perfect for me ... :-)

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  8. Love these! Where did you get your towels from?

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  9. Jeni - you are a lifesaver!! I have some towels and some great fabric, and I needed some tips and a push to get these made into gifts! Thank you so much....I'm off to check out the tutorial!

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  10. How timely. Thank you! Christmas gifts will be in the works as soon as I scour around for just the right dish towels. Walmart, Target maybe?

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  11. These are lovely. Thanks!

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