Monday, January 10, 2011

Dish Towel Belts

So about this time last year I got fed up with my dish towels being on the floor and came up with a solution.  While I loved them intensely over the past year, I was ready for a change.  So I came up with this instead.  The dish towel belt.



I think they turned out SO cute and I am really happy with them.  I just paired them with a white towel because I wanted the belt to be the focus.  But you could make a more neutral belt and pair it with a cute towel too.

But of course I couldn't just make one. I had to make four!


So do you want to make your own?  They are super easy and you can bang out a bunch in an afternoon.  Great way to use up those scraps too!


You start with a piece of fabric that is 12" x 6".... or what ever size you want.  The narrower one was 12" x 4".


Fold it in half  right sides together and sew along the long edge so that you make a tube.


Turn right side out and press.  (yes I said press.  Normally I would skip this step but it really makes a big difference. )  Fold the ends over and pin.


Then do a top stitch around the entire thing.  This will sew down the two edges and make the whole thing more stable.



Then add a few pieces of Velcro.  You can use any kind of closure you like but Velcro is easy.  I used an iron-on type that is supposedly permanent and machine washable.  Follow the package directions but for mine you just peeled of the backing, stuck it on, and then heat set it for 90 seconds.


Embellish however you wish.  On this particular one I made a simple ribbon bow and just hot glued it on.  It would probably be a good idea to attach your embellishments to a safety pin and attach them that way, but I didn't have any on hand and was being lazy.

You can also embellish with some rag flowers.
There are a ton of ways to make fabric flowers, but for mine I took a length of fabric and tied knots all down it leaving a little untied at the end.  Then starting at one end you roll it up, hot gluing as needed to keep it together.  I opened the untied end and hot glued it to the back to help secure everything.  Yes, I totally made that up as I went, but I think it turned out kinda fun.

The other way I embellished was with a ruffle.  Basically make a tube the same way you did before and then run a long straight stitch down the middle.  Gather it and then sew it onto the belt.

Wrap them around the towel and enjoy!  Here are how all the variations look hung.





They are a really simple solution for keeping that dish towel off the floor and I love how they look.  I'm so proud!

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