Rollin'

I'm on a roll! 

I have caught the sewing bug and just can't stop. Actually, I want to get all of my projects requiring a sewing machine done so I don't have to keep putting the machine away and then getting it out again.

I really wish I had a permanent sewing station.:(

These projects have seriously piled up!

The one I'm sharing today is for Max...my 2 year old.  He has seriously outgrown the infant hooded towels we are still using for him.  Ya know those really thin, crummy ones?  What's a mom to do?  Make a bigger, better one, of course.

I got some of these great, sturdy towels as a gift when my oldest son was born almost 8 yrs. ago and my oldest two still use them!  It was Max's turn for one.

I looked through a few tutorials and also looked closely at the ones I had to figure out how to put these together.  There are A LOT of different ways to make these.  One of the cutest I found was from Notes from the Patch.  

I put this together in a way that made the most sense to me as a beginner at sewing.  It's pretty basic at this point, but as my experience increases I hope to cutify (I know it's not a word) future attempts.

WARNING:  This post is heavy on pictures.

What you need:

1/2 of a hand towel (1 makes two hooded towels).

1 bath towel.

Cute ribbon or strip of material.

A sewing machine and some thread. ;)

Begin by cutting your hand towel in half lengthwise.

The next step is to sew your ribbon or strip of material (on both sides)  along the short side of your hand towel.

Next, you are going to make your hood.  Fold you hand towel in half again with your ribbon on the inside.  I cut a curve along the top and then zig zag stitched along the curve to make my hood.  Make sure you back track at each end so this little hood will hold up to crazy kids and washings.

You see that edge running along the left side of the hood in the above picture?  Well, I cut that off so that it would be easier to sew the hood to the bath towel.  You won't even see this edge when I'm done.  Now there aren't as many layers for my needle to go through.

Here it is again sitting next to the other half of the hand towel without the edge removed

 

Here's my hood all ready to attach.  Remember, the left side will be the one attached to the bath towel.  The edge with the ribbon will be the front of the hood.

I know like is  should be the opposite.  Just trying to save you the hassle of unpicking things!

 I then pinned the center of the hood and the bath towel and lined the pins up to make sure that the hood is where it should be.  Put your right sides facing each other.

You can see that there is a curve to the hood.  I ended up pinning down one half of the hood and sewing it to the bath towel with a straight stitch.  I then continued slowly attaching the other half of the hood by lining it up and continuing my straight stitch.  

I then went back over it again with a zig zag stitch, backtracking on the ends, to make sure this sucker wasn't coming off any time soon.

Here's a picture of what the hood looks like on the inside.

 

You can see how this all worked out.  Pretty awesome...I honestly can't believe I'm making some of the things I currently am!  I've only been sewing for 2 weeks so it still shocks me what can be done with my own two hands.

Alright, I'm done giving  myself a big ol' pat on the back.

Here's my crazy Max with his new towel.

He held still for about 15 seconds while I snapped a pic and then he was outa there!

Did I mention that sitting still for him is pretty much im.poss.ible?

I hoped this little tutorial helped some of you out.  I think I may be making some more of these. 

Of course, the new kiddo will need one and they would be great for baby gifts!

Heck, I want one!

Linking to:

Remodelaholic
Fingerprints on the Fridge 
Jane Deere Blog 
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating 
Just a Girl 
Tatertots and Jello 
Gallery of Favorites 
The DIY Showoff 
Between Naps on the Porch 
The Tattered Tag 
Dittle Dattle 
The DIY Home Sweet Home Project
Home Savvy A to Z 
Sisters of the Wild West 
Home Stories A 2 Z 
Not Just a Housewife 
Tip Junkie 
Blue Cricket Design 
Savvy Southern Style 
Someday Crafts 
The Shabby Creek Cottage 
Delightful Order 
Somewhat Simple 
House of Hepworths 
Tidy Mom 
Addicted 2 Decorating 
Cookie Nut Creations