Tutorial: Hooded Towel

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for a project that has been around forever.  I know that there are many many tutorials out there for hooded towels, but I can't help but share one more.  Hooded towels are really popular in our home.  I made Clark his first hooded towel right after I started this blog, and he wants to use it every bath time.  They're perfect for the beach, the pool, and the bath. The hood keeps them nice and warm. 

Miles not so recently outgrew his infant hooded towel, and I finally got around to making him his own big boy hooded towel.  This one should last him for several years, or until he wears it out.  Hooded towels are super simple to make, here's how I do it....

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What you'll need:

 One full size bath towel

One full size hand towel

Matching thread

Piece of Extra Wide Double Fold Bias Tape, or Quilt Binding

Start by cutting your hand towel in half.  You'll only use one half, and this will serve as the hood.

Fold the half of a hand towel in half, and mark down about four and a half inches on the folded side of the towel.  Using a rotary cutter or scissors, create a gentle arc that goes up to about 1/2" below the cut edge of the towel. Rounding the hood isn't absolutely necessary, but I think that it makes for a more attractive hood.

Serge or overcast stitch (zig zag) the raw edges of the hood piece.

Fold your hood piece back together, and stitch the arc of the hood shut using 1/4" seam allowances.

Press open the seam, and stitch down the seam allowance to the hood of the towel.  This will make the seam less bothersome to sensitive little scalps.

Take your bias tape or binding, and turn right sides together.  On one end stitch 3/8" away from raw edges.  Clip the corners of the the seam allowance.

Turn the bias tape right side out.  Position the bottom corner of your hood piece on the inside of the bias tape.  Pin in place.

Stitch 1/4" away from the  binding's edge.  When you get about an inch and a half away from the end of the binding/towel's edge, stop. Measure the remaining hood distance, and transfer markings to the binding. Turn the remaining length of the binding inside out, and stitch the binding shut as you did at the binding's start.  Clip the corners, turn right side out, position the remaining hood corner in the binding pocket, and finish stitching,  You can add a couple of additional rows of stitching for decoration if you'd like.

 Onto the towel.  Fold the towel in half.  Measure about three inches in from the folded edge of the towel.  Pin to mark.  Measure three inches down from the top towel edge.  Pin to mark.

Sew a line that is three inches in length, and three inches in from the folded edge.

Your stitching line will create a bit of a vent or faux box pleat.  Open up the pocket that was created by the stitching line.  Pin open, with 1 1/2" material on either side of the stitching line.  

Stitch down.

Here's a look at the vent.

Find the center point of the hood, and the center point of the towel. Pin the towel and hood together and stitch in place.  If your towel has an existing binding edge as mine did, make sure to stitch outside the binding edge, it will make it much easier to feed through your machine.  

 Hood is now attached.

 Clark's and Miles' towels are the same color, as I bought them in a pack on clearance several years ago.  Clark's has a monogram on it, so I decided that Miles' needed one too.  I created an applique using heat and bond fusible adhesive, and stitched around the edges.

You could also add some trim, or ribbon to the towels to dress them up a little bit.

This is a really quick project, and great for beginners as well.  They'll be loved by your kids.

Happy sewing.