$44 hooded towel tutorial

From an actual email exchange between my sister-in-law and me:

Her: I think you should make these ***insert link to cute but WAY expensive hooded towels here*** .
Me: You mean for my favorite (still gestating) niece?
Her: If you felt the need to make your favorite still gestating niece a hooded towel she would use it often and I am sure your blog readers would love to learn how to make them.
And so, here goes!

Supplies:
Terry cloth, 38″ X 40″ (you could get by with a yard if you shortened the body of the towel 2″)
Decorative fabric, 38″ X 40″ (same spiel as above)
Matching thread
Pins
All seams are 1/2″
Cut 1 piece of terry cloth and 1 piece of decorative fabric 40″ W and 28″ L
Cut 2 pieces of terry cloth and 2 pieces of decorative fabric 10″ square
Get out a dinner plate. Place it on your 10″ squares of the decorative fabric like so:

Get out your fanciest Happy Birthday pencil and trace along one edge.

Cut along that edge. Use the decorative fabric as the pattern to cut the terry cloth squares to match. Here’s what you should have now.

Pin the curved edges, right sides together.

Sew curved edges. Make a few clips in the seam allowance along the curve to help things lay down nicely. DO NOT cut through your stitching.

Line center seam on back of hood up with center of body piece, right sides together. Pin. Do this with both decorative fabric and terry cloth. I left the crease in my body piece to make this easier.
Sew from edge of hood to edge of hood on both pieces.
With right sides together, pin decorative fabric to terry cloth. Match up sides of hood, seams, and corners.

You’ll want to leave a 6″ or so opening along the bottom edge for turning. I like to use a different color of pin to remind me to start and stop sewing there. I’m nerdy like that.

Sew all the way around the towel, leaving 6″ opening on bottom edge.
Make clips in the seam allowance where the hood meets both sides of the body of the towel.

Clip the corners.
Turn the whole thing right side out through the hole.

Press.

Top stitch all the way around, approximately 1/4″ from edge of towel.
Voila! Your own $44 hooded towel, for around $10.

***As usual: Make ‘em, gift ‘em, but please don’t sell ‘em!***
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Comments

  1. Wow! That's cute! I've made tons of hooded towels….but just the normal way (with a towel and 2 matching washcloths). I've never seen it done with cute fabric on the outside! You're a GENIUS! Great timing for this too since I'm re-doing my girls' bathroom! Thanks!!

  2. where did you find that fabric? it's adorable!! who makes it??

  3. ~Kimberly says:

    Way cute!!! Love the flower fabric!

  4. I found the fabric at Hobby Lobby, so I don't think there's a "designer". There's also a matching polka dot. And argyle. I nearly wept right there in the store.

  5. Shoot I don't have a "Happy Birthday" pencil!

    I love this…I'm definitely doing some for my kids. Thanks for the tute!

  6. Al, Wendy, Max, and Lil says:

    super cute as usual!

  7. Jami Blake-Weight says:

    do they come in adult sizes?????

  8. porter family says:

    CUTE! and i love the word gestating.

  9. Spammon says:

    Show off.

  10. If only my mom was that crafty……I think she would rather buy a hooded towel!!

  11. Great job! It is always more that useful to be a crafter, right! Now I am motivated to sew one!

  12. Blake & Anya Young says:

    Bennett Blake is so stinkin cute but then again he does share a name with the cutest guy ever…..Bob Bennett. I am seriously so excited! That is so much fancier and nicer than that link I sent you…not to mention the turn around time that rivals even the finest sweat shop!

  13. Blake & Anya Young says:

    Bennett Blake is so stinkin cute but then again he does share a name with the cutest guy ever…..Bob Bennett. I am seriously so excited! That is so much fancier and nicer than that link I sent you…not to mention the turn around time that rivals even the finest sweat shop!

  14. Parker Family says:

    Those are totally awesome! I will so have to try these!

  15. ~Kimberly says:

    I have made several things from your blog, and I really enjoy it… and I just nominated you for the Kreativ Blogger Award!

    Thanks for taking the time to post all these great projects!

    http://cupcakecuppy.blogspot.com/2009/07/kreative-blogger-award.html

  16. The Constant Gardener says:

    Thanks, Char! I've been wanting to make some hooded towels for my kids to take the pool (they keep insisting that I tie them around them like capes when it's time to go and frankly, I'm sick of that!)

  17. I love her reasoning! This is so cute, I'll be linking.

  18. Small fry & Co. says:

    Very cute. I never thought of making these with a decorative print on the outside but they are much cuter than just a plain towel. Guess I am going to have to make some.

  19. Small fry & Co. says:

    Very cute. I never thought of making these with a decorative print on the outside but they are much cuter than just a plain towel. Guess I am going to have to make some.

  20. sweetpea says:

    Okay, so I LOVE this project!! So, so cute,

  21. casserole says:

    I've just been invited to a baby shower. I am SO making this for my present!! I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-boutique-style-hooded-towel/2009/07/02/
    –Anne

  22. Great project! Very cute!

  23. adorable! And as a grandma to kids who aren't even related, it's a great gift! I do love your site!!

  24. Super cute! And great instructions…now I just need some small children to make these for…

  25. Absolutely adorable. This tutorial stands out from the first ten on the google list. Thanks!!

  26. Easy & awesome – thank you! I love the style of your blog and of course the projects (I'm thrifty & into the same stuff). Adding you to my Google reader:)

    Cheryl@
    http://sewcando.blogspot.com

  27. I made two of these and my kids love them! I used flannel for the outside-I do not suggest washing the terry cloth with the flannel when pre-shrinking! It took several washes to get rid of all the crap stuck to the flannel. My baby especially loves hers because it's like being wrapped in a blanket after her bath instead of one of those thin, cheap baby towels Gerber makes. She used to scream when I took her out of the bath and now she's all smiles! :)

  28. Mother 25 - 8 says:

    I am a brand new fan of yours!!!

  29. After making a couple of these, one suggestion I can add is that you don't have to sew the front to the back (when the right sides are put together) all in one seam. I found things lined up and laid flatter when I did the hood first and then the two top seams, etc. Thanks for a great Christmas gift idea!

  30. Get N Together says:

    I just followed your hooded towel tutorial last night…it turned out SUPER CUTE!! Thanks for sharing.

    I only ran into one problem…which I am sure is a novice user error. Instead of sewing both sets of terry hood together I sewed a terry cloth to my material.

  31. Mommy of Two 24/7 says:

    Lovely! I think I may have found Christmas gifts for this year… I know, a bit early, but hey, at least I'll have more time to make Christmas crafts later! ;)

    Angela
    mommyoftwo247.blogspot.com

  32. I am your latest fan. I wanted to make hooded towel for my 9 month old girl for sometime, now I am going to make this, thanks.

  33. I tried this out and linked back

    http://letsgoflyakiteuptothehighestheight.blogspot.com/2010/07/handmade-and-useful-baby-gifts.html

    I love your blog and thanks for sharing this pattern!

  34. I found your blog precisely because I stumbled upon the same "cute but WAY expensive hooded towels" and thought, hey, I can totally make those! I was just looking for a pattern for basic sizing information. And then what do you know, you already did all the work for me!
    I'm making mine out of light yellow terrycloth and using a super soft owl flannel on the outside. It's going to be for my baby, due next month.
    I'll have to post pics when I get it done! Thanks for a great tutorial! :)

  35. Thanks so much!
    Mine is off white terry with brown dogs and red plaid bones and slippers on an off white flannel on the other side.
    Alicia is going to love it – and hopefully her baby will too. He is due in February. Her shower is in two days. I'm done in time.
    Thanks again!

  36. Thank you so much for this awesome tutorial…I have already made 4 and plan on making them for all of the little kids on my christmas list. My favorite thing about this towel is that you can adjust the length for other children..but with us living in Upstate New York with its very cold winters, it is nice to have a hooded towel for them also. I am going to try one with a tie around the waist to see if it stay wrapped around my 17 month old from the bath tub to his room :) Thanks Again!!!

  37. Which Terry Cotton did you use? I just went to Joanne's this morning to get some and was very disappointed in the quality of the 3 colors they carry…baby blue, baby pink, white… they were all practically see through they were so thin. Thinking of going and buying a huge bath blanket to do this project with…

  38. Char @ Crap I've Made says:

    I bought mine at Hobby Lobby, but I think a large towel would be a great substitution!

  39. So, I busted out FIVE of these in the past week. I got the material at Hobby Lobby like you did, but I REALLY think I'd have been happier with a real towel. Next time I'll do that!

  40. I'm so glad I found this! I actually have one these towels and I like that they are so much bigger than those other hooded towels, but I know how expensive they are. I am just beginning to sew, but I was thinking how easy something like this would be to make. Thank you!

  41. that's so wonderful thank you for this tute I've made one today with your easy instructions and gotta say I love it…

  42. FlybabyInMaine says:

    AH-HA! Thanks! I have some older towels that I wanted to make in to "hoodies" for my kids but couldn't quite wrap my brain around creating a pattern! THANKS

  43. I so wish I could make this! I am a beginner sewer…even though I took sewing in Jr. High! I’m pathetic! I need help with it!

  44. These are awsome. Made one for my newly adopted baby girl from Ethiopia…can’t wait to snuggle her up in it!

  45. Shantel says:

    This is so cute! I am featuring it on my sewboy series today!
    seemesew.blogspot.com

  46. Thanks for the tutorial! I made 3 of these and posted pictures on the blog!

  47. I just made two towels for my boys. I am just learning to sew and they came out great. Thank you for the tutorial.

  48. Thanks for the insturctions! I pinned this and made it several years ago for my four year old. For Christmas I needed to make one for my other daughter. It turns out great and can’t wait to see the look on my little one’s face when she gets to have her own robe.

  49. Thanks for the instructions! I pinned this and made it several years ago for my four year old. For Christmas I needed to make one for my other daughter. It turns out great and can’t wait to see the look on my little one’s face when she gets to have her own robe.

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