Join Aurifil Artisan Maude Macdonald (@theretroquilter) on a journey of creativity and sustainability as she unveils the magic hidden within ordinary tea towels via an easy step-by-step guide. With an array of Aurifil thread weights and colors, Maude’s project becomes a canvas for experimentation and personal expression, offering a delightful opportunity for readers to infuse their homes with a touch of DIY magic. Get ready to transform the mundane into the extraordinary and join Maude on this thread adventure!
When most of us think about upcycling, it’s usually making over quilts or quilt tops into garments, or maybe repurposing old jars. Usually the first thing that comes to mind isn’t how to upcycle towels, but today I’m going to show you how to breathe new life into them, because guess what? That’s a lot of good material there! Let’s dive into two different ways you can spruce up that terry cloth.
First thing’s first though: make sure your towel is clean, and be aware of any holes, stains or fraying. The towel I used was worn in the middle, and really frayed at the edges, so I cut it into four pieces and trimmed the sides. Any pieces that aren’t salvageable could be used for rags.
Extending the towel
One way to jazz your towel up, especially if you’ve had to trim off some prime real estate is to extend it. Start by finding two scrap pieces of fabric, and a piece of batting that is slightly wider than the width of the towel piece. The length is entirely up to you.
Take the two pieces of scrap fabric and sandwich them together with your scrap piece of batting in between. If you have a fluffy towel, you may want to consider doubling up on the batting.
Baste together to form a little quilt sandwich.
Quilt the quilt sandwich together. This is a fantastic way to experiment! Try some free motion quilting, hand quilting, and explore thread weights! In this example, I used a 50wt in white (Aurifil 2026), 12wt in fuschia (Aurifil 8530), 8wt in orange (Aurifil 2240), and Aurifil floss in yellow (5015) and hand quilted everything but the white.
Once quilting is completed, trim the top and bottom (width or horizontal sides). With the right side of the quilted addition facing up, and laying on the wrong side of the towel (there may not be a wrong side so no worries,) sew together with a ½” seam allowance.
Fold over to cover the seam and sew along the folded edge closest to the quilted addition, creating a closed seam. Once completed, sew along the other side of the folded edge to aid in keeping the towel flat.
Trim sides if need be and adorn if you like. Lastly, bind edges as you would a quilt, and enjoy!
Covering up
Another method to upcycle a towel or a cut from a towel is to use raw edge appliqué. Simply find a fun piece of fabric, and iron to a piece of appliqué adhesive paper, such a Steam a Seam. Cut out the shape desired and peel the paper off.
Place onto the towel and press into place. Once cooled, sew around the shape with an approximate ⅛” seam allowance. My appliquéd sun I used from the Ruby Star Society’s Rise and Shine collection was just begging for some more adornments, so I did my best to embroider sun rays.
There are literally endless ideas for embroidery to do, and if you want to secure the backing of the embroidery you can use a product like Sulky’s Tender Touch which covers stitches and feels gentle to the skin.
Oh the possibilities!
A project like this I think could be so fun for any holidays, or with kids, or as I mentioned if you want to experiment with something without giving a project a huge commitment.
Now I know you’re dying to check your linen closet to see what towels you can upcycle, and we can’t wait to hear about it in the comments!
Until next time, keep it quilty friends
~ Maude
*Fabrics used for towel upcycling are from Lysa Flower’s Driving Down Nine collection, and Ruby Star Society’s Rise and Shine collection. Other threads used in projects were Aurifil 50wt in 2132 and 1133.
You can find Maude, the Retro Quilter at www.theretroquilter.com and on Instagram @theretroquilter
Great idea. I have been using old towels to back bibs and burp cloths.
I add new binding and use them on the counter for dish drying.