Learn how to cut and sew your own DIY tea towel out of any kind of fabric you have, like this cute plaid one for the fall season!
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You know those times when you score a cheap piece of fabric, someway or somehow, and you can’t wait to put it to use?
Last spring my mom and I were shopping at target and we came across this big, plaid tablecloth in the clearance section. She convinced me to grab it even though it was definitely a fall style and it was spring at the time.
I thought I would just use it as the tablecloth that it was when I first bought it. When fall came around though and I tried it out, I wasn’t a big fan. It was just a little overpowering in our dining room.
Immediately I started to think of ways that I could cut it up and re-purpose it and I couldn’t wait to get started. First, I made this super easy table runner below, then I made a couple of pillow covers for our couch.
When I still had a ton of fabric left, I decided a few DIY tea towels would be the next venture. I didn’t have any fall tea towels in my stash, so I was excited to add a little plaid to the mix!
Whether you have some extra fabric laying around, or you want to get the perfect pattern from your local store, you can have your own DIY tea towels in no time.
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Why Sew Your Own Tea Towels?
I’m not sure how much tea towels cost at the store anymore (mine are usually gifted to me, handmade, or handed down). But it seems like it would be fairly inexpensive to make your own, especially if you can get the fabric for a good deal!
If you enjoy making things handmade for your home, try to always keep an eye out for deals on fabric! You can find different fabrics at thrift stores, marked down at your normal retail stores, at garage sales, etc.
Sewing your own tea towels means you can make them completely customized! You can make yours as big or as small as you want them, choose the fabric and pattern, add some embroidered flowers, anything!
Its also a great way to use up any extra fabric you have laying around. If you’re new to sewing, this is one if the easier projects you can start with.
How to Sew Your Own Tea Towels
Sewing your own tea towels is crazy easy. If you know at all how to work your sewing machine then you can do it!
This tutorial is verrry similar to my DIY Table Napkins Tutorial, just different measurements and a couple extra steps. Both ways work interchangeably though for creating tea towels or napkins.
In this tutorial, I explain how you can sew the edges twice, but this is completely optional. When you fold over the raw edges the first time, you can sew all the way around, and then sew all the way around again after you’ve folded them over a second time. Only do this if you feel comfortable enough with your sewing to be able to sew straight over your old line.
DIY Tea Towel Supplies
- 19″ x 29″ of fabric (for one tea towel)
- scissors
- sewing machine (this is the sewing machine I use and love)
DIY Teal Towel Process
Step 1.
Cut your fabric down to 19″ by 29″ if you haven’t already. The standard tea towel size is 18″ x 28″, but you’ll want a little extra to account for hemming all around.
Step 2.
Fold your raw edges down 1/2″ and iron if you feel like you need to. Now, you can sew all of your edges down now, and do it again later. You’d be sewing over what you’ve already sewed so only do this if you feel comfortable enough to stay on top of your old line. It will really secure the hem though.
Step 3.
Fold down the corners of your fabric, and cut the corners off.
Step 4.
Fold over all of the edges again and at the corners make sure they are even and the edges line up. If you need to cut the corners more, do so. You can iron again if you feel you need to, or pin the fabric.
I forgot to snap a pic of this, its called a mitered corner, but here is a shot of when I sewed the mitered corners for my DIY Cloth Napkins. Once you’ve got your corners looking like this, you can sew all the way around to finish it off.
Step 5.
Sew all the way around the edges about a 1/4″ in, going over the corners and securing the fabric. All done!
These DIY tea towels would be a really beautiful and thoughtful hostess gift. You can choose a fall style and pair it with some apples and homemade caramel sauce in a basket.
OR you could wrap a handmade tea towel around a loaf of fresh baked bread, and do that as a gift as well. The options are endless!
I’d love to see if you create these DIY tea towels for your own home! Tag me on Instagram if you do.
Check out our other sewing projects!
DIY Velvet Pillow Cover Tutorial
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