How to Make Reusable Paper Towels with Fabric Scraps
Create unpaper towels (also known as reusable paper towels) with fabric scrapps you already have in your home. It's a great way to make an eco-friendly swap and I'm sharing two different ways to make them as well: a no-sew version and a sewn version. Both are super easy and only take minutes to make.
Cost: free
Materials
- fabric scraps*
- thread pins and a sewing machine (for a no-sew option, use hemming tape)
- scissors
- iron ruler
Instructions
- Measure and cut.
- Measure two pieces of 10” x 15” fabric (this can be an absorbent piece and a linen, two absorbent fabrics, etc - again, just use whatever you have on hand). Then cut.
- If you don’t have enough, you can do different measurements. Just make sure your two sides are the same size. I've found 10 inch squares are a great size too.
- Pin the two fabric pieces together and sew.
- Put your sides face to face and pin along the edge. Sew all sides 1/4” from the the edge but be sure to leave a small gap to turn the towel inside out!
- Cut the corners.
- Cut the corners so that when you flip the towel inside out, the corners lay nice and flat.
- Flip inside out and sew the hole closed.
- Flip the towel inside out and iron along the edges. Now, you can sew the hole closed. Be sure to get as close to the edge as possible.
- For a cleaner look, you can hand stitch this closed.
Notes
Additional Ideas: For one of my towels, I sewed two straight lines about an inch in on the top and bottom to prevent the towel from getting bunched up in the wash or during use. This is totally optional, but I actually didn’t mind the way it turned out!