Film in the Fridge

Another quick patchwork project

This project was really quite quick, but might also make a great gift, especially if paired with those potholders from the other day!

I’ve been trying to use up some of my small scraps, since it’s been getting a little out of hand! Like many others, I have a hard time throwing away fabric, even the smallest scraps, and as a result, I have a huge container filled with some pretty small scraps. For this project I pulled out scraps that were about 3″-4″ long with varying widths.

I wanted to add some color to these plain white dishtowels. These are Martha Stewart flour sack towels, which I bought at Kmart some time ago. I love them as towels, but frankly, they’re a little boring as is… a bit of color is just what they needed!

To make these I sewed the scraps I had selected into a long strip, long enough to cover the width of the towel, with about an inch overhang on either end.

I decided I wanted a strip about 3″ wide, so I marked a straight line on the top and bottom edges and folded and ironed along those lines to create a nice straight, clean strip.

I then pinned this strip to the towel. I decided to sew it about 4″ from the bottom edge of the towel. I used a zig zag stitch to sew down the length of the strips. To ensure that it stayed in place during washing, I also stitched in the ditch every couple of blocks.

And now you have some fun towels – just enough to add a little color to your kitchen!

Posted in Other Sewing - clothing, bags, napkins, pillows.

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18 Responses

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  1. 1
    Woody says:

    What a super way to use up scraps. I too hate throwing away fabric and have the smallest pieces!! So believe me you are not the only one – I just need somewhere to store all my scraps as they are overflowing all over the sewing table.

  2. 2
    Alissa says:

    So cute! You are so freakin’ productive! It’s impressive…

  3. 3
    Terriaw says:

    Great towels! I have been saving those little pieces of fabrics too, with no idea on how to use them. Sometimes I think I should just let them go, but now I’m glad to see how you used them up. Love it!

  4. Those look absolutely fabulous!

  5. 5
    jacquie says:

    i was shopping for some towels like this to add to my mom’s potholders, but couldn’t find a thing. maybe my local kmart will have these. the one place i didn’t go! thanks for the tip. they look fab!

  6. 6
    Rachel says:

    These are gorgeous! You always put together the best color and fabric combos, I love them! I’ll be linking!

  7. 7
    nancy says:

    What a great idea! I love those towels but you are right-they are boring. These would be cute in a gift basket of kitchen items.

  8. 8
    amandajean says:

    that is a great idea! I love your new towels.

  9. 9
    Jackie says:

    I LOVE your idea for towels! They are super cute!

  10. 10
    Lee-Anne Gilbert says:

    great idea… very snazzy!! Lx

  11. 11
    Jill says:

    Love these! I just went through all my scraps yesterday and sorted them into stacks. That’s not sad at all is it?! This will be a great use ‘em up project!

  12. 12
    Karen says:

    Simply wonderful! :)

  13. 13
    betsy says:

    excellent idea!

  14. 14
    Cristin says:

    Stinkin’ ingenious! I love this idea… will be trying it out soon! But first – to Kmart!

  15. 15
    katy says:

    I love this!! Great idea and perfect way to use scraps.

  16. 16
    Kara says:

    sooo cute!

Continuing the Discussion

  1. Homemade Wedding Gift Ideas « Skip To My Lou linked to this post on August 14, 2009

    [...] a set of these patchwork dishtowels from Film in the Fridge. *Give the gift of fresh air with Derek and Lauren’s double sided [...]

  2. Floralshowers | Neighbor Gifts: Embellished Hand Towels — Floral Showers linked to this post on November 20, 2009

    [...] Patchwork Towels [...]



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Ashley

Ashley
South Burlington, Vermont

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Film in the Fridge Photos by Ashley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.