When I was pregnant with Gracie, my sister-in-law made a hooded baby bath towel similar to the one above. It was one of my favorite gifts and is one that I enjoy making and giving to other expectant mothers. It's pretty easy to make. I will show you how I made the one above and give tips on how to make it more easily (fewer mistakes) which I figured out the next time I made some.
Hooded Baby Bath Towel
- A large bath towel
- Half of a handtowel
- matching thread
- A roll of ribbon
If you are making two hooded bath towels, you will need:
- Two large bath towels
- One handtowel
- matching thread
- Two rolls of ribbon
Step #1: Sew the ribbon onto the towels first. This will help you see which side is the right side of the towel.
For the large bath towel, sew ribbon across the width at both ends. If the towels have the decorative stripes on them (like below), it makes it very easy to sew the ribbon over that. If the towels do not have the decorative stripes, you have to measure and make sure it's straight. You also have to be careful when sewing to make sure your seams are straight.
For the handtowel, sew across one end, or, if making two hooded bath towels, sew across both ends.
Step 2: Fold the large bath towel in half with RIGHT SIDES together. (The ribbons should be on the inside.) Measure 8 inches over from the fold and pin. You will sew a line going down 6 inches.
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| Measure 8" from the fold and sew a line going 6" down. | (The photo shows the ruler measuring 4" - ignore that.) |
Step 3: Pinch the top part together so that it folds evenly over the seam. See photo below. Now sew along the edge to sew the layers together.
Step 4: Measure over about 9-1/2" inches from each end of the handtowel and cut that piece off. If you are only making one hooded bath towel, you can save the other half for another project. If making two, you will have two pieces from the ends plus a smaller piece from the middle.
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| In this photo, I cut the hand towel in half across the width before measuring over 9-1/2" and cutting that piece off. I prefer not to do it that way anymore. |
Step 5: Fold the handtowel in half right sides together. Sew down the cut end to make a hat shape. I used a zigzag stitch to make it strong.
Step 6: Pin the handtowel hood to the bathtowel with RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. Make sure the middle of the handtowel lines up with the middle of the bathtowel. This will be difficult to sew since there are so many layers. Sew slowly and carefully. I actually broke a needle doing this step.
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I made this hooded baby bath towel for a lady at our church who is expecting her first child. I knew that Gracie would be excited about the Winnie the Pooh ribbon, so I decided to take the leftover handtowel piece and make a baby doll blanket for her.
I later made another Winnie the Pooh hooded baby bath towel for a lady in church whose grandson had a baby. I made two at once and have kept the extra one for future baby showers.
I also made a camouflaged-theme one for a friend of mine who had a baby boy. I used tan towels and camouflage ribbon. I don't have a photo of it, but if she takes any photos with her baby, I'll post it here.
Baby Doll Blanket
Step 1: Take double fold bias tape (which I already had on hand), open it up, and pin right sides together to the cut end of the towel. Sew.
Step 2: Fold the double-fold bias back so that it covers the cut end of the towel. Sew the other side. I did it pretty quickly so my stitches look pretty ugly. (Gracie doesn't care!)
Step 3: Sew the ribbon across the towel.
Gracie wanted to help put the ribbon on the towel. It actually goes straight across and not folded back as shown in the photo.
She was happy with her baby doll blanket and put it to good use right away.
