Last year, after being sent a photo of some fabric paper towels by a friend, we decided to make some of our own to give away as gifts to family and friends! Not only were they a hit with everyone who received them, but we made some for ourselves and have used them every day since! Here’s the simple How-To…
Gather your fabric
- Purchase new terry cloth and flannel at your favorite fabric store -OR-
- Cut up old flannel sheets or shirts and old towels
We went the “new” route since we made the majority of our towels as gifts for family and friends last year for the holidays! Not as eco-friendly as they could have been, but we were very happy to pick out lots of fun prints on sale, which is never a bad thing, right?
Wash & cut your fabric
All of our pieces were cut into 12 inch X 12 inch pieces using a cutting mat and a rotary cutter.
Pin each towel together
Take one piece of flannel and one piece of terry cloth and pin them together so the pattern on the flannel faces in (after sewing, you will flip them inside out).
Begin sewing
Sew your towel together, leaving about two inches un-sewn at one corner to flip your towel right side out. Then, flip your towel right side out and sew up that last little bit!
Poke Holes and Insert Buttons
If you want to clasp all of your towels together so they are, in fact, a roll, the best way we found to do so is by using diaper buttons, pliers and an awl. Just make sure to face all of your buttons the same way so they line up and attach correctly.
There you have it! An easy way to help save the environment and add a little fun to your kitchen!
xoxo,
M
Linking up to the Homestead Barn Hop #126, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #89, HomeAcre Hop #36, From the Farm
These do look very nice, and I am sure they are quite handy. However, the reason I use paper towels is to wipe up super disgusting things that you wouldn’t even want to throw in a washing machine. Rags can serve the same purpose as these towels you have mentioned. Besides, what’s the trade-off of now using water to wash something? Just offering a different viewpoint here.
We have always used fabric towels for the majority of our spills and hand drying, as well as for meal napkins and find that they last a very long time. I consider the trade off of water to wash them in to be worth it when considering the environment 🙂 I do, however, use paper towels occasionally for the grossest of gross clean ups (like dog or cat puke and/or dingleberries). Sometimes, no matter how eco-minded I try to be, it just *has to go in the trash 😉
Sorry to ask a question on an old post, but my fiancee just linked me and asked me to make these. I’m all for it, but I was wondering – how many did it take to make up what would have been a full roll of paper towels? I really love my barn red, rooster-topped, heavy metal paper towel holder and would like to stick them in it.
No worries! If I were to guess, I’d say 8 or 10. However, we have begun keeping ours in a drawer with our other towels and hot pads, so if you make too many, that’s always an option, too 😉 So glad you’re going to make them! Ours have really held up well!
These look awesome!!! Can you tell me how they’re used though? I know that sounds dumb, but when I think of the 100’s of ways I use *gasp* paper towels, can these clothe towels be used the same way?
Hi Sheri! No question is a dumb question 🙂 Yes, you can use them any way you like! As soon as they’re dirty, just throw them in the wash! We’ve had ours for two years now and they’re still holding up nicely! Now, we used a blue terrycloth for a bunch so the stains don’t show up as much, but you could make white on white and bleach them when necessary, too 🙂
that is a really cute idea! I think I am going to be making some of these! 🙂
I made my own set last May and I love them! They’re so easy to make too!
Such a money and environment-saver!
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Ok…it’s getting a little weird. Have you been spying on me?? 🙂
Seriously, I JUST gathered the materials for this very project last week. Suburban husband is very leery, but he was leery when I switched us over to cloth napkins, too. He’ll adapt!!
Lol…too bad we’re not neighbors, we’d be collaborating on everything! Best of luck with the project! They really are great 🙂