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DIY Embellished Tea Towel

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

Embellished Tea Towel tutorial

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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!

how to embellesh te towels with fabric

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

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.)
fabric embellished tea towels

More Scrap Fabric Projects for the home:

How to make tea towels

materials needed for embellished tea towels

Materials Needed

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.)

embellished tea towel tutorial

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

how to make a diy 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.

embellished tea towel tutorial

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

how to add applique to a tea towel

Step 3: Sew appliques.

Line up the applique the way you like and then add heat with an iron to activate the glue.

applqued tea towel tutorial

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

sewing applique to a tea towel

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
how to embelish a tea towel

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.)

embelished tea towel tutorial

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

quilted tea towel tutorial

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!

how to embellish towels with fabric

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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Yield: 1 tea towel

DIY Embellished Dish Towel

DIY Embellished Dish Towel

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!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty easy
Estimated Cost 4

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.

    1. Find the link for the heart shape under materials needed.

    Step 2: Cut fabric and appliques.

    1. Cut base fabric 4.5 inches high by the width of the towel plus half an inch.
    2. Fold edges of fabric 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. (pin if needed.)
    3. Measure up 2 inches from the bottom of the towel and pin the fabric on to tea towel.
    4. Sew fabric to the towel. Sew 1/8 inch along the edge, taking care to catch the folded edge in your stitches.
    5. Cut fabric scraps and fusible web pieces so they are just a bit larger than the applique template.
    6. Pell the backing off of the fusible web and adhere to the scrap fabric.
    7. Trace the template into the scrap fabric and cut out the applique.

    Step 3: Sew appliques.

    1. Line up the applique the way you like and then add heat with an iron to activate the glue.
    2. Stitch heart appliques in place. You can use a simple straight stitch or a blanket, zig-zag, or applique stitch.

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