

If you want to jump start a project, start with something off-the-shelf and add your own sewn touches to make it unique. That's what we did with this set of clever dish towels. We started with plain white towels from Crate and Barrel, then added three fabric bands with contrasting topstitching. The color and pattern really pops off the crisp white background. I can't guarantee folks will be fighting to help you dry the dishes, but I can promise the towels will look fabulous hanging on the rack.
Our Nature Brights projects were made using Patty Young's wonderful Flora & Fauna Collection by Michael Miller Fabrics. To learn more about the collection and all the tutorials available, read our article: Nature Brights Kitchen: A Bowlful of Color with a Generous Helping of Style.
Sewing Tools You Need
- Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome 3128)
Fabric and Other Supplies
For a set of three towels:
- 3 solid color, store-bought dish towels: we used a basic white dish towel from Crate and Barrel that measured 20" across the bottom edge
- ¼ yard of 45" wide fabric for the top and bottom accent bands, we used Patty Young's Flora & Fauna in Black Ta-Dot
- ¼ yard EACH of three 45" wide fabric for center bands, we used Patty Young's Flora & Fauna in Lime Hive, Lime Daisy Dot and Lime Humming Birds
NOTE: You actually only need a 4" x 21" piece for each towel's center panel, so if you are doing other projects, you might be able to simply use scraps of fabric. Many online and in-store retailers have ¼ - ½ yard minimum cuts. You really only need an 1/8 yard. - All purpose thread in a contrasting color: we used bright green
- See-through ruler
- Fabric pencil
- Seam gauge
- Iron and ironing board
- Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
- Straight pins
Getting Started
- From your accent band fabric (Black Ta-Dot in our samples) cut one 1½" x WOF (with of fabric) strip per towel, then cut that down to two strips 1½" x 21".
- From each of your center band fabrics (Lime Hive, Lime Daisy Dot and Lime Humming Birds in our samples), cut one rectangle 4" x 21". If you have a fabric, like our Flora & Fauna Lime Humming Birds, which has a specific design you'd like to show when the towel is folded, fussy cut the piece, centering the image you want at the 10½" mark along the 21" side of your 4" x 21" rectangle.
- Use your see-through ruler to mark and draw a horizontal line across the front of your towel(s) 2½" up from the bottom hem.
At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board
- Take the 1½" accent band strips to your ironing board.
- On each strip, fold in each short end ½" and press.
- Then, fold up one long side ½" and press. Set both strips aside.
- Take your 4" center panel fabric(s) to your ironing board.
- On each panel, fold in each 4" side ½" and press.
- Take each towel and lay it face up on your work surface so the drawn horizontal line is visible.
- Place a center panel strip, right side facing up, on top of a towel. Line up the bottom edge of the center panel strip with the drawn horizontal line. The folded outside edges of your center panel strip should be flush with the hemmed edges of the towel. If they aren't perfect, re-press the folds as needed to make an exact match. It'll look dorky if the fabric border hangs over the edge of the towel.
- Take one accent strip and align its flat raw edge with the top raw edge of the center panel, right sides together. This means the opposite folded edge of the accent strip will lay on top of the center panel fabric ... not on top of the towel.
- Using an approximate ½" seam allowance, stitch through both fabric layers as well as the towel. Stitch right along the inside edge of the accent strip's folded up raw edge, but do NOT stitch on it. Remember to back tack at the beginning and end of your seam.
- Trim your seam allowance back about 1/8".
- Keeping the existing fold to the inside, roll the accent strip up and over to cover the raw seam allowance. Press well and pin.
- Topstitch very close to the edge around all four sides of the accent strip.
- Repeat steps 8 - 12 to attach the remaining accent strip to the bottom of the center panel.
- When both accent strips are topstitched in place, add an additional line of topstitching down each side of your triple border to close the sides.
Contributors
Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Kathy Andrews, What Sew Ever
i am using kitchen towels from Costco. The length is not 21”. Should the strips be cut to lay flush with the towel or have extra on the sides. I wish you had a picture of the towel at the end of it. I’m extremely visual . Thanks
@Vintage53 - Do you mean 21" in width - we only mention width? The length won't matter; you can still use the distance up from the bottom as shown. If you mean width, you should cut your width to be 1" wider than the actual width of your towel to best match our instructions. This is quite an old tutorial, so it does not include quite as many photos as current projects. Sometimes reading through once or twice to "make it in your head" helps clear things up. Hope that helps
I am sorry I had to ask about the length of the strips. I don’t have much confidence and was afraid to mess this up. Due to my diabetes my eyes have trouble seeing things. They have a habit of bleeding behind them at most inopertunities. Thank you for your assistance.
@Vintage53 - No worries at all - we're happy to help and hope we were able to clarify things for you. Have fun with the project!
Very Nice. Thank you.
@Dar - Glad you like it! Let us know if you give it a whirl.
Thanks for your tutorial. Just made two and hope to make more. I am just a basic sewer the kitchen towels turned out great used white waffel weave which I had but bit too much stretch in it. But still look nice. Going to try different material next time. Great for Christmas gifts for family.
@Sue - Thank you so much for letting us know about you're success with our pattern! We're always especially excited by folks who are newer to sewing. Congrats - and I'm sure the new ones for Christmas will turn out just as wonderfully.
Is there any reason you didn't make the entire border first sewing all 3 prints together, pressing them, and then sew it to the tea towel? Seems faster.
@ Denise Southard - it's really the classic "six of one - half dozen of another" situation. You could certainly do it as you are describing, but would still need to precisely seam and press the strips and then, when attaching to the towel, you'd want to add the additional lines of sttiching to insure the fabric and towel didn't pull apart in the laundry. But -- certainly - either way is acceptable and we always like it when people fins options they prefer.
I made my daughter an apron and wanted to decorate some towels with the leftover fabric. This is just the ticket! Thanks.
Hi Linda,
Are you the Linda who lives in Oraange, Ca.? If so, "Hi" and hope you and Chuck are well.
Blessings,
Mona
I am making an apron right now for a gift, and will have fabric left to make matching dishtowels. Perhaps there is an oven mitt pattern to match as well? I can see the same border along the "cuff" of the mitt.
@ Beth Verchota - we have several tutorials for oven mitts. Below is a link to our newest one done in Simple Marks from Moda Fabrics. Check out our Project Index Tab in the Hot Pads & Mitts category for even more.
http://www.sew4home.com/projects/kitchen-linens/quilted-oven-mitts-simpl...
These instructions are great! However, for the benefit of those very new to sewing, it would be best if the pictures between steps 9 and 13 showed only the first of the two narrower strips being attached so it matches the explanation in the text. My little "apprentices" stopped working and kept rereading that section because they thought they had missed a step.
Thanks for all the projects---they are darling! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for a great website!
I am very new to this site and find it very interesting. I recently received a Brother Sewing Machine as a gift and I was wondering if these dish cloths etc., can be made on the Brother machine? Looking for something easy to make as I start to get use to my sewing machine. I haven't used a sewing machine in about 40 years, so I need to start with something easy and interesting. Thank you.
Thanks for this and the great instructions.
i didn't understand if you cut the towel and than sew it again or you sew the fabric on the towel....???
I always give them dish towels and pot holders ....store bought.
I think tghey will like home made one this year.
http://karicorsi.blogspot.com/...wels.html
http://sew4home.com/projects/bath-linens/627-baby-gifts-pretty-bird-burp...
Thanks, Liz!!
Diana
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