I like to think of myself as someone who doesn’t always fall for marketing. I usually ignore paid social media posts and scroll past the paid ads on Google search, all by second nature. However. However, once in a while something gets even me!
And this something was in an email. Alright, fabrics-store.com, you got me. So my very first post on this blog was about how to sew curtains after I moved into our new curtain-less house, so I ended up on the email list for fabrics-store.com after making a purchase. I usually leave marketing emails in Unread Land, but the promise of one in particular stood out to me: gorgeous bath towels.
The instructions looked easy. Buy (of course) a particular fabric, hem the edges, throw it in the wash, and voila! You end up with a dimensional, absorbent towel. I was in!
Fabric Reveal
I chose 1 yard each of optic white and cobalt:
The fabric is a blend of 54% linen / 46% cotton. Upon first glance, there’s no sign that this is going to turn into anything special upon launder to the untrained eye. Two giveaways might be that you can see the weaving and they come in quite large at an 84″ width. Otherwise, the fabric is quite unassuming. I crossed my fingers and got right to work!
How to Sew Towels
I cut the fabric I wanted to size and then cut off the selvedges.
Then I folded the edges over twice and ironed them for staying power:
I cut and added a spare piece of ribbon I had in my gift wrapping stash in case I ever wanted to hang it (flash forward to today: nope, I never use it) and used clips to hold everything in place. I also mitered the edges because I like the way they look. I don’t have a method — I honestly just shove extra fabric underneath when trying to make these angles. It is a lot of trial and error and rapid clipping before everything comes apart 😅
I sewed everything using a simple straight stitch:
Here are the pieces of fabric that don’t know what’s in store for them!
This is the post-wash reveal!
The Results
These towels absolutely delivered on the promise. They are soft and really absorbent! I definitely had my doubts that linen and cotton could absorb as much as they do, but I was pleasantly surprised. They’ve now become the towels we keep near the dogs’ water bowls to wipe mouths and the floor after a drink, so they’ve got to look good and hold a lot of water.
Shrink Amount
The website’s product pages state “the width of cloth shrinks 17% (weft of the fabric) and 28% on the length ( warp of the fabric).” I found that mine shrunk a little more, but that could also be because I didn’t read the part that said dry on low heat and I dried this on high heat 🔥
Final Thoughts and Recommendation
I think this is a great, quick project with immediate results, perfect for anyone who can sew a line and/or wants a custom addition to their kitchens or baths. I even gave one set to my mom! Would you try these?
