Transform plain towels with an attractively patterned fabric border. The neat little hanging loop is a professional-looking finishing touch and means that they can be displayed on a peg rail or door hook when not in use, adding a splash of colour and pattern to your bathroom. Make a set of bath and hand towels for a personal and unique gift, choosing fabrics in colours that tone in with the recipient’s bathroom.
Take 1.5-cm/½-in. seam allowances throughout unless otherwise stated.
3 hours
1. Cut a 71 x 24-cm/28 x 9½-in. piece of patterned fabric, a 71 x 27-cm/28 x 10½-in. piece of gingham fabric and a 71 x 6-cm/28 x 2¼-in. piece of gingham fabric. With right sides together, pin and machine stitch one gingham piece along each long edge of the patterned fabric. Press the seams open.
2. To make the fabric hanging loop, cut a 19 x 5-cm/7½ x 2-in. piece of patterned fabric. With wrong sides together, fold in half lengthways and press. Open out and fold both long edges in to the central fold. Press. Fold in half again, aligning the folded edges. Pin, then machine stitch close to the edge. Press.
3. Lay the towel on your work surface, with the fabric border right side down on top of it 22.5 cm/8½ in. from one short edge of the towel. Place the fabric loop under this about 3 cm/1¼ in. on either side of the middle of the towel (widthways), with the two raw ends sticking out. Pin, tack and machine stitch in place.
4. Fold the fabric border down over the towel and up over itself, with right sides together. Fold over 1.5 cm/½ in. along the top edge of the border and line it up with the border stitched to the towel. Machine stitch along both sides of the towel and trim the seams. Turn right side out, tucking in the end of the towel. Slipstitch the remaining border edge in place.
