Mommy Suburbia: How To Make A Modern Hanging Kitchen Towel

Have you ever been hard at work in the kitchen, your hands caked in flour as you put the finishing touches on your latest concoction only to realize that after you rinse off your hands there is no kitchen towel to be found anywhere to dry off your dripping hands?

So frustrating, right!?

I'm pretty sure my kitchen towels are in cahoots with all the single missing socks in my house sneaking off to some mysterious hidden place to party like it's 1994. Well, I haven't figured out how to solve the missing sock problem yet but I did come up with a great way to keep those kitchen towels in line and I'm excited to share it with you today.

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When you think of hanging kitchen towels you probably remember those country kitchen style crochet towels your grandmother used to have hanging from the handle of her stove. As convenient as those crochet hanging towels are I think they could stand a little makeover. Hanging kitchen towels don't have to look like granny's because I'm giving them a modern update so they fit with your kitchen decor.

Modern Hanging Kitchen Towel Sewing Tutorial

To make these modern hanging kitchen towels you only need to be able to sew a straight line on a sewing machine making this the perfect beginner sewing project. Gather up the following materials and let's get started upgrading your kitchen towels!

Supplies:

Sewing machine
Thread
Cotton fabric
Scissors
Rotary cutter & self-healing mat (optional but very handy!)
Kitchen towel
Iron & ironing board

Step-by-Step Sewing Instructions:

Step 1: Cut the cotton fabric into a 36" x 8" rectangle folding right sides together into a long narrow rectangle and pressing with a hot iron. Along the edge of the fabric opposite side from the fold, measure and put a mark 4" from each of the fabric ends towards the center. Starting at your mark lightly draw a tapered line from the mark to the end of the fabric to create a tapered line.

Step 2: Sew around the perimeter of the fabric rectangle. Make sure to sew a tapered line at both ends of the rectangle (the picture above only shows one side but make sure to taper both ends! - sorry!!),

Also, make sure to leave a 2" opening along the straight edge so you can turn the rectangle right side out after sewing. Turn the entire rectangle tube right side out and press.

Topstitch around the perimeter of the rectangle with a 1/4" seam allowance making sure to stitch the 2" opening closed.

Step 3: Open the kitchen towel up with the right side of the towel laying face down. Fold each long edge on both sides of the towel under to the right side of the towel about 2 - 3 inches (depending on the width of your towel you may need to adjust this a little).

Now, carefully grab the folded edge you just created and fold it (the folded part) back to the center of the towel on the wrong side. You want the finished edge of the towel to line up with folded section you just created so that it isn't overhanging and visible from the right side of the towel. See the pictures below to help you with this step!

Do this to both long sides of the towel.

Step 4: Carefully flip the towel over so the right side is facing up. Find the center of the towel by carefully folding it in half, finger pressing it, and opening the towel back up so it is laying flat.

Now, fold the fabric rectangle tie in half to find the center. Place the fabric tie on top of the towel matching up the center marks of the towel and fabric tie.

Pin the tie securely to the towel's center line. Starting at the edge of the towel, sew across the width of the towel and over the fabric tie center mark to securely attach the tie to the towel. I recommend repeating this step a few times to make sure the tie is secure.

To hang your new modern hanging kitchen towel simply tie the fabric sashes around the handle of your oven door or towel bar. These hanging dishtowels make for great Mother's Day, Christmas, and birthday gifts too!