DIY Embellished Tea Towel
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Learn how to sew a DIY embellished tea towel to use, dress up your kitchen, or give as a gift. These adorable fabric embellished towels will customize and dress up your space, plus they make a great gift to give or craft to make and sell

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DIY Tea Towels
Do you like to craft? Cook? Decorate for the holidays?
If so, then you’ll love this next project!
A DIY Embellished Tea Towel is a great way to use up some of those fabric scraps you’ve been saving, and make great gifts too! This is a fun and easy project that can be completed in just a few simple steps. Have fun choosing fabrics and creating unique designs for your kitchen!
Fabric Embellished Tea Towels are the best scrap busting project
I have a bunch of leftover fabric scraps from my last few sewing projects. As I was sorting the scraps and tidying up my craft space, I decided to whip up a few simple embellished tea towels.
This is such an easy scrap fabric project, you’ll want to make a set from your scraps every time you finish a project!

Why Make DIY Embellished Tea towels
- Easy – Quick and easy to make and a perfect project for beginners. 10 to 20-minute project (depending on how intricate your design is.)
- Scrapbuster – The perfect project to use up leftover fabric scraps.
- Makes a great gift – These sweet DIY Tea Towels make a great hostess or gift for family and friends.
- Perfect for Craft Fairs or Etsy – These tea towels can be made for a very low cost and they are a great craft to make and sell. I’ve seen similar towels for sale on Etsy from $6 to over $20 depending on the complexity of design, quality of towel, and the number of towels in the set.
What size is a tea towel?
If you want to make your own tea towels, the standard size of a tea towel is 18″ x 28″.
Where to find Fabric for a DIY Tea Towel
- You can buy toweling fabric by the yard on Etsy to make your own tea towels. Most toweling fabric is pre-hemmed on the sides only and measures 16″ wide. Moda toweling is what I have. It’s 100% cotton, comes in various colors and designs and is very nice quality.
- Fabric.com carries Huck toweling which is desirable fabric for cleaning and dish drying due to its high absorbency and low lint.
- You can also find tons of tea towels and flour sack blanks on amazon already hemmed and ready for embellishment.
sewing tips
- Press and starch tea towels and scrap fabric before cutting and sewing.
- If using a water-soluble marker to trace your applique, be sure to remove the marks before applying heat.
- Definitely cut out an extra applique to test your stitches and practice. (I tried to freehand the hearts with my free-motion foot and definitely did not look as good as just using a regular quarter-inch foot.)

More Scrap Fabric Projects for the home:
- Pom Pom Embellished Dish Towels
- Free Motion Quilting – Embellished Towels
- Fabric Pumpkins
- DIY Reusable Cleaning Cloths
- Rag Quilt Placemat Tutorial
How to make tea towels

Materials Needed
- Applique heart template
- Scrap fabric (one piece needs to be 4.5 inches high by width plus half an inch, of the towel.
- Double stick fusible web (has one side with paper you peel off and stick to your fabric before applying heat.)
- Tea towel
- Scissors, iron, other basic sewing supplies
Sewing Instructions – Towel 1 (heart towel)
Step 1: Print and cut applique template.
Find the link for the heart shape under materials needed.
Step 2: Cut fabric and appliques.
Cut base fabric 4.5 inches high by the width of the towel plus half an inch.
Fold edges of fabric 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. (Pin if needed.)

Measure up 2 inches from the bottom of the towel and pin the fabric onto the tea towel.

Sew fabric to the towel. Sew 1/8 inch along the edge, taking care to catch the folded edge in your stitches.
Cut fabric scraps and fusible web pieces so they are just a bit larger than the applique template.
Pell the backing off of the fusible web and adhere to the scrap fabric.

Trace the template into the scrap fabric and cut out the applique.

Step 3: Sew appliques.
Line up the applique the way you like and then add heat with an iron to activate the glue.

Stitch heart appliques in place. You can use a simple straight stitch, a blanket stitch, zig-zag, or applique stitch.

Give everything a good press and the towel is finished!
Instructions – Towel 2 (simple scrap pieced)
Materials needed
- Scrap fabric
- Tea towel
- Basic Sewing supplies

Sewing instructions
Step 1: Cut and piece scraps.
Cut scrap fabric into 2.5 by 4.5-inch scraps (or whatever width dimensions you want.)

Piece scraps together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Press the strip flat. Fold edges of fabric strip 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. (Pin if needed.)
Then, just as in the tutorial above, measure up 2 inches from the bottom of the towel and pin the fabric on to tea towel. Sew fabric to the towel,1/8 inch along the edge, taking care to catch the folded edge in your stitches.
That’s it, you’re done!

Enjoy making these tea towels!
Did You Make A fabric embellished Tea towel?
Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. If you share an image on Instagram, be sure to tag me and use #scatteredmompatterns! You can also share an image to my private Facebook sewing group!
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Make your own DIY tea towels to use or give as a gift. Not only will these adorable towels customize and dress up your space, but these handmade kitchen linens have so many more possibilities!
Materials
- Applique template
- Scrap fabric (one piece needs to be 4.5 inches high by width plus half an inch of the towel.
- Double stick fusible web (has one side with paper you peel off and stick to your fabric before applying heat.)
- Tea towel
- Scissors, iron, other basic sewing supplies
Instructions
Step 1: Print and cut applique template.
- Find the link for the heart shape under materials needed.
Step 2: Cut fabric and appliques.
- Cut base fabric 4.5 inches high by the width of the towel plus half an inch.
- Fold edges of fabric 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. (pin if needed.)
- Measure up 2 inches from the bottom of the towel and pin the fabric on to tea towel.
- Sew fabric to the towel. Sew 1/8 inch along the edge, taking care to catch the folded edge in your stitches.
- Cut fabric scraps and fusible web pieces so they are just a bit larger than the applique template.
- Pell the backing off of the fusible web and adhere to the scrap fabric.
- Trace the template into the scrap fabric and cut out the applique.
Step 3: Sew appliques.
- Line up the applique the way you like and then add heat with an iron to activate the glue.
- Stitch heart appliques in place. You can use a simple straight stitch or a blanket, zig-zag, or applique stitch.