If you're looking for a simple and quick project to treat your mum on mother's day, or simply wanting to refresh your worn out tea towels, this tutorial is for you! This gorgeous cotton-linen tea towel will spruce up your kitchen.
Time: Approximately 2 hours
Equipment:
- Tailor's chalk
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Scissors
- Ruler or tape measure
- Sewing Machine
Materials:
- Tea towel fabric (I used 1 metre of the Jackdaws & Magpies Cotton-Linen Fabric)
- Durable ribbon
- Thread to match or contrast
Method:
On a clean table, measure out 54 x 64cm of your chosen tea towel fabric, ensuring your chalk lines are parallel or perpendicular to the grain line. If you're using a fabric with a large print, make sure that the motifs are visible in the area of the tea towel; there is allowance included for a 1.5cm double turned hem on all sides.
Cut out the fabric carefully.
Using an overlocker serge the edges of the material. If you don't have an overlocker, you can prevent the edges from fraying by stitching at the edge with the zig-zag stitch.
Fold over the fabric towards the back by 0.5cm on all sides, and press with an iron.
At each corner of the fabric, measure 2cm along the edge from the corner on each side of the fabric and mark this point with chalk, then use a ruler to draw a straight line between the two, joining the dots with another chalk line that runs across the corner of the fabric. This will be your stitching line.
At each corner, fold the fabric back on itself, right sides together, so that the edges of the fabric meet perfectly. Pin in place so that it doesn't move around too much.
Sew neatly along the chalk line on each corner with straight stitch, backstitching at the beginning and the end to ensure that it stays in place with use.
Now trim the seam allowance on each corner to about 0.5cm, and then again on the 90 degree angle, clip this slightly.
Press the seam allowance open - this is small and fiddly so be careful not to burn yourself with the iron!
Use a point turner if you have one, or a knitting needle, to push out the corner of the tea towel so that the double turned hem is on the reverse of the fabric. The tea towel should now have four perfect mitered corners.
Press each corner in place first, with a 1cm double turned hem, then press the double turned hem on each edge of the fabric.
Choose the top corner of the tea towel where you would like the strap to be placed to hang it with, ensuring the pattern is in the right direction when hung. Place the ribbon over the corner of the fabric, mark with chalk where the ribbon should end.
Trim the ribbon to size and place it under the double turned hem.
Pin the ribbon in place ready for sewing.
Using the straight stitch and backstitching at the beginning and end, sew a few millimetres away from the edge of the double turned hem, stitching the ribbon in place at the same time.
Sewing your own tea towels is easy to do in a few simple steps and doesn't take long at all. I'd love to see what you make; tag nat_gwilliams on Instagram when you post your tea towel project so I can see your sewing creations!