Sewing: Dish Towels and Dish Cloths

Purple! Yes…purple dish towels and purple dish cloths. This project was inspired by someone’s love of purple – and their new home. With a birthday arriving next week, I though, well, what better way to send them something not so matchy-matchy, yet practical?? Okay…a little match-matchy.

A month or two ago I made dish cloths for our home, in a very neutral colour. This time I decided to make matching dish towels.

Dish Towels and Dish Cloths

The cloths measure 11×11 and the towel measures 28×20. Yesterday was Fabricland’s annual ‘snooze you lose sale’ and I grabbed these 3 purple fabrics (all quilting cotton). 45 women and one man standing in the cold as if we were in line for a rad nightclub. I was the youngest by far…even got Id’d! 🙂

When working with a fabric that has a very distinct pattern, like the panels made up of circles, be aware of where you are cutting. Last year, when I was in LA, many fabrics like this one were sold by the panel – you can’t simply by 1 yard and have it cut down the centre of a panel…I wish our stores had the same policy. My cutter started to cut before I could ask her to go to the next full panel. Bummer.

First – cut out your backing. In this case, I used fine terry cloth in white. Now, cut out your fabric. Ensure that all fabrics are pre-washed! Then, put the right sides together and serge all the way around, leaving a small opening to turn the piece right side out.