It can be so difficult to decorate your kitchen for the holidays, but Debi Schmitz has you covered with these handy and festive hanging towels. Designed with playful St. Patrick’s Day prints, this easy sewing project walks you through updating a plain dollar store kitchen towel with fun fabrics for simple holiday décor. Fasten your hanging towels around the handle of your oven door with a silver snap and finish with a color-coordinating decorative button.
Designer Note: The shamrock fabric was tea-dyed from white to cream to match the towel.
Version 1 of St. Patrick’s Day Hanging Towels
Materials:
- 1/4 yard shamrock cotton fabric 44-inch long
- 1/4 yard green check cotton fabric 44-inch long
- 7/8” green plastic button (1)
- Size 10 sewing snap set in silver
- White needled cotton batting
- White thread and green thread
- Kitchen towel – Note: The designer used an 18-inch x 28-inch towel, but any standard kitchen towel will work.
- Scissors
- Cutting mat
- Acrylic ruler
- Rotary cutter
- Hand sewing needles
- Iron
Cutting Instructions:
Shamrock fabric:
- (2) 1-inch x 8-inch (Handle)
- (3) 2-inch x 7-inch
Green check fabric:
- (3) 1-inch x 8-inch (Handle)
- (2) 1 1/2-inch x 2 1/2-inch (Handle)
- (4) 2-inch x 7-inch
- (2) 1 1/4-inch x 10-inch
- (1) 2 1/2-inch x 8-inch (Handle)
- (1) 8-inch x 10-inch
Batting:
- (1) 8-inch x 10-inch
- (1) 2 1/2-inch x 10 -inch (Handle)
Sewing Instructions:
- Stitch the (7) 2-inch x 7-inch fabric pieces together alternating the fabric designs. Start with the green plaid as shown in Diagram 1 and Photo 1.
Diagram 1
Photo 1
- With the stripes horizontal, stitch the (2) 1 1/2-inch x 10-inch green check fabric strips onto the sides vertically. This completes the Pieced Topper Front.
- Lay the pieced topper front right sides together with the (1) 8-inch x 10-inch green check fabric. Lay the (1) 8-inch x 10-inch batting on top of the green check fabric as shown in Photo 2.
Photo 2
- Stitch all around the topper leaving 2-inch open on one long edge for flipping the fabric inside out. Clip corners.
- Flip the fabric inside out so the batting is inside the topper. Push out the corners and press. Hand stitch the opening closed with the green thread.
Photo 3
- Sew vertical quilting lines from top to bottom of the topper with the rows horizontal. The stitch lines should be 3/8-inch apart. See Photo 5.
- Fold the topper in half with right sides together for a finished 5-inch x 7-inch topper. Stitch the side seams securely. Clip the corners and flip the topper inside out. Push out the corners and press.
- Trim the towel length if desired. This towel was trimmed to 16” long- vertical length.
- Open the towel and lay it on a work surface so the longer length is vertical. Fold the top of the towel to the bottom of the towel with the edges folded inside or at the center back determined by the width of the towel used. Gather the cut edge of the towel to a width of 4 1/2-inch. If using a very wide towel, fold the sides to the back to reduce the width before gathering.
Photo 4
- Insert the gathered towel top up into the topper. Stitch side to side on the front of the topper, 1 1/2-inch from the bottom edge. This will secure the towel into the topper.
Photo 5
Photo 6
- Sew the (5) 1-inch x 8-inch strips of fabric together, right sides together in alternation designs.
Photo 7
- Stitch (1) 2 1/2-inch x 1 1/2-inch piece of green check fabric, right sides together, to the bottom of the handle front. Stitch the remaining piece to the top of the handle front.
- Lay the pieced handle right sides together with the 2 1/2-inch x 8-inch green check fabric. Lay the (1) 2 1/2-inch x 8-inch batting on top of the green check fabric as in Step #3, Photo #2.
- Sew all the way around leaving 1 1/2-inch open on one long side for flipping the fabric.
- Clip corners, flip the handle so the batting is inside, and press.
Photo 8
- Handstitch the handle onto the back of the topper with green thread, 3 1/2-inch from the top center of the topper.
Photo 9
- Stitch the button to the front of the handle (striped side). Then stitch one side of the snap to the back in the same place as the button is sewn. Stitch the opposite side of the snap to the bag, centered 1 1/4-inch from the top fold.
Photo 10
Photo 11
Photo 12
Version 2 of St. Patrick’s Day Hanging Towels
Designer Note: The shamrock fabric was tea-dyed from white to cream to match the towel.
Materials:
- 1/4 yard shamrock cotton fabric 44-inch long or fat quarter
- 1/6 yard green check cotton fabric 44-inch long or fat quarter
- 1/2-inch green plastic buttons (5)
- 58” green plastic button (1)
- Size 10 sewing snap set in silver
- White needled cotton batting
- White thread and green thread
- Kitchen towel – Note: The designer used 18-inch x 28-inch, but any standard kitchen towel will work.
- Scissors
- Cutting mat
- Acrylic ruler
- Rotary cutter
- Hand sewing needles
- Iron
Cutting Instructions:
Shamrock fabric:
- (1) 2 1/2-inch x 10-inch” (Handle)
- (2) 7-inch x 10-inch
- (1) 2 1/2-inch x 7-inch
Green check fabric:
- (1) 2 1/2-inch x 10-inch (Handle)
- (1) 3-inch x 7-inch
- (1) 1 1/2-inch x 7-inch
Batting:
- (1) 7-inch x 10-inch
Sewing Instructions:
- Fold the 3-inch x 7-inch of green plaid fabric in half for a 1 1/2-inch x 7-inch piece. Press the fold. Open and fold the sides to the center fold line. Press the outside folds. Position this strip of green plaid fabric across the shamrock 7-inch x 10-inch fabric, 1 1/2-inch from the bottom. Photo 1.
- Use the green thread to stitch green plaid fabric to the shamrock fabric as shown in Photo 1.
Photo 1
- Repeat Step #1 with the 2 1/2-inch x 7-inch piece of shamrock fabric. Stitch this band centered on top of the green plaid band with cut edges behind.
Photo 2
- Repeat Step #1 with the 1 1/2-inch x 7-inch piece of green fabric. Stitch this green plaid band centered on top of the shamrock band with cut edges behind.
- Lay the (2) 7-inch x 10-inch shamrock fabric pieces right sides together. Lay the 7-inch x 10-inch” batting on top of the shamrock fabric, on the wrong side of fabric.
Photo 3
- Sew together around four sides leaving a 3-inch section unstitched with white thread until further notation. Clip corners and flip inside out. Push out the square corners. Hand-stitch the opening closed with white thread.
Photo 4
- Stitch 1/4-inch straight horizontal lines to quilt the shamrock towel topper above and below the stripe on the front. See Photo 6.
- Fold the towel topper right sides together and stitch the side seams. Flip inside out again and press the side seams.
- Trim the towel length if desired. This towel was trimmed to 14” long- vertical length.
Photo 5
- Gather the cut edge of the towel to a width of 4 1/2-inch. If using a very wide towel, fold the sides to the back to reduce the width in half before gathering.
- Insert the gathered towel top, up into the topper as far as it will go. Stitch side to side on the front of the topper, just below the stripe. This will secure the towel into the topper.
- Lay the (2) pieces of 2 1/2-inch x 10-inch for the handle. One side will be shamrock fabric, and the other side will be green gingham.
- Sew all around leaving 1 1/2-inch open on one long side for flipping the fabric.
- Clip corners, flip the handle, pushing corners out. Stitch the handle closed with white thread and press.
- Hand stitch the handle with white thread, starting at the center bottom of the towel back. Stitch to the top of the back fold. The handle above will be loose to attach to the front.
Photo 6
- Stitch (5) 1/2-inch green buttons across the band evenly with green thread. Stitch the one larger green button to the handle front when folded over.
Photo 7
- Stitch the large snap on to the handle back behind the button. Stitch the mate of the snap onto the front of the topper 1” below the fold.
Photo 8
