Ah, bathtime! It’s been a few years since I’ve had babies or toddlers in the house, but I still remember the joys of seeing my babies splashing around in the tub. Every time I patted my kids dry, I knew it would be just a few more minutes before they’d be tucked into bed and I could finally take a break from being a mama!

One of the things that made for fantastic bath times were the hooded towels I made for each of my kids.  These were not the paper-thin napkins they try to market as towels in the baby section of Target. These guys were cozy and thick and continued to work great as those babies grew into the toddler years. (I think my kids were still using them into the elementary years!)

Over the years, I’ve sewed up quite a few of these towels for other family and friends—and I started adding a little ribbon on the edge for a decorative touch.  (Trust me, once you see one of these nice, big, thirsty towels, you’ll never want to buy another so-called “baby towel” for anyone again!)

Recently, a friend asked me to sew a few that she could use for upcoming baby showers, so I decided to grab some pictures, and share the idea here on the blog. Yes, this is a sewing project. But it is super easy.  If you can sew a few straight lines, you can do this! 

I usually sew two bath towels at a time, since one hand towel can be cut to make two hoods. (It’s nice to stow away a second towel that I can use for a future baby shower of new baby gift!)

Here’s what you’ll need to get started.

(*Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means at no cost to you, I will earn a small percentage on items you buy through this link. Thanks for helping me support my family!)

Supplies:

• a regular-size bath towel
• a hand towel
• ribbon (Measure the width of your bath towel. Multiply that number be 2. Then add 2.”)
• thread
• fabric scissors or cutting board and rotary cutter
• fabric pins
• sewing machine

Need Some More Sewing Inspiration?

How To Make the Towel:

1. Gather supplies

2. Lay your hand towel flat on a cutting board or hard surface. Measuring along the long edge of the handtowel, cut the towel at a 9.5” length. This should leave you with a long rectangle that has three finished edges and one raw edge. (If you want to make two towels, cut 9.5” from the other finished edge as well.) This will become the hood piece. 

3. Lay the bath towel flat. Then lay ribbon along the width of the towels and, leaving about 1” extra on each end, cut the ribbon. Cut two pieces this width.

4. Lay the hood piece flat. Lay ribbon along the length of this piece, leaving about 1” extra ribbon on each end. Cut one piece of ribbon to this length.   (see picture below for steps #3 and #4)

5. Fold one end of the shorter ribbon under and align edge with the shorter side of your hooded piece.  (See picture following Step #6.) I usually place the ribbon about three inches from the longer, finished edge of the towel.

6. Sew the ribbon onto the hooded piece, by sewing one straight seam along each edge of the ribbon. Tuck the remaining edge of ribbon under as you approach the end of your seam, so that it aligns with other end. (See picture.)

7. Now secure ends of ribbon by sewing a short seam along the edge of the ribbon on each end. (See below.)

8. Repeat steps 5-7, using the longer pieces of ribbon to attach to each end of the large bath towel.

9. Fold your hood piece in half, with the ribbon sides facing in. Leaving a quarter inch seam allowance, sew a line along the unfinished edges of the towel.  Reinforce by sewing another line at a half inch seam allowance from then edge.

10. Now fold your bath towel in half, with ribbon sides facing out, and align the hooded piece into the fold, as shown. (The hooded piece should overlap into the larger bath towel by about a half inch.)

11. Pin the hooded piece into place. (Picture below shows what it should look like when you open the larger towel back up a bit.)

12. Sew the hooded piece into place by sewing a straight line along the edge.  (Try to align your  big bath towel and and the hooded piece as pictured below.) Reinforce by sewing a second seam next to the first.

13. Snip off all the extra threads and YOU ARE DONE!

I hope you enjoy the creative process of putting these towels together.  Whether it’s for your own kids, or a gift for someone else’s, these towels should survive many, many bath times in the years ahead!