DIY Hooded Towels: A Step-by-Step Tutorial
With Christmas fast approaching, gifts are no doubt on your mind. I love doing handmade gifts for my friends and family, but let’s be honest, you can only crochet so many hats. When my oldest son was born, a friend gave us a hooded towel as a shower gift. My son has been using it for several years now, so it was high time to replace it and make some for the other kiddos. So with one full size towel, and a matching hand towel, you can make your own hooded towels.
I love hooded towels for my kiddos. Actually, come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind one for myself too. However, once they outgrow the baby size, full-sized hooded towels are harder to come by. And the ones that you do find, don’t typically match the bathroom decor. I decided that I wanted towels that match my guest/kids bathroom, so I bought a few sets of plush towels with their matching hand towels.
Once I had picked my towels, it was just one cut, a few pins, and two seams. This really is a quick, simple project. Pinning the pieces is probably the most time consuming part. You could definitely spice them up with some fun ribbon along the hood, but I’ve opted to let the bright colors do the talking.
I think these would make awesome Christmas gifts. The towel sets costs about $10-$12 depending where you’re shopping. And if you have a sewing machine, you could finish this entire project in about 30 minutes (even faster if you have a serger!). Now I am, by no means a master seamstress, but this project isn’t too challenging. I’m all about functional gifts, because we are just drowning in tiny toys that I spend way too much time picking up. Hooded towels definitely meet that functional requirement, and I won’t have to clean them up. Score!
Some Other Fun Ideas…
If you’re looking for more gift ideas, check out some of my crochet patterns as well. If you’re looking for a really quick one, the Crossed Pair Headband is a great choice. Its a fun ear warmer that works up in about an hour. And the XOXO Slouch Hat and XOXO Scarf are a fun textured set that you’ll have a ton of fun making!
So, let’s get started with the towels!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Materials
- Full Size Towel
- Hand Towel
- Sewing Machine (or needle for hand sewing)
- Heavy Duty Sewing Needle
- Matching Thread
- Sharp Scissors
- Measuring Tape
Step 1
First you’ll need to cut your hand towel to size. My towel was fairly large, so I had to cut lengthwise and widthwise. For toddler sizes and smaller, an 9″ square works great. I made mine a 11″ square. Try to make as few cuts as possible so as to have less edges to finish.
Step 2
Next, you will need to pin the back of the hood. Since terry cloth (towel material) is somewhat messy when cut, I left myself an extra 1″. This way you can fold the seam 1/2″ over and then over again. This hides the raw edge under the fold. (Ironing is helpful to hold the fold in place while you pin.)
Step 3
With right sides facing in, sew along the back of the hood.
Step 4
Fold your large towel in half widthwise and mark the center with a sewing pin.
Step 5
Fold and pin the raw edge of the bottom of the hood. Line up the center of the hood (where the seam is) with the pin marking the center of the large towel. With the right sides of the fabric facing each other, pin along the edge.
Step 6
Sew the hood to the towel.
Final Thoughts
Thats it! Its done! Now if you have a serger, you can totally skip all that folding business and just finish the edges. I recommend a bit of Fray Check along the serged edges just for good measure.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Be on the lookout for more crocheted goodness coming up soon. Until then, happy crafting!
Kelsie
