Thursday, July 28, 2011

Tutorial ~ Five Kitchen Towels Dress ~




I found this kitchen towel bundle for pretty good price (it was originally $16 and I got it for $8!). I had an idea of what I wanted to do with them...


They are 100% cotton and very absorbent. I thought these would make a comfortable summer dress for Rachel!

I will show you what I did. :)

{You will need}

Five kitchen towels (the ones that you see all over the place. Five slightly different patterned ones)

Matching thread

{Before you start}

I used three towels for the skirt, one for the top, and the last one for making bias tape.

Look at the towels and decide how you want to coordinate them first.

{How to}--Skirt

1. Cut off the sides from two towels that you chose for the skirt. Cut them into three equal pieces.



2. Lay them out and coordinate how you want to combine them and sew side by side.



3. Cut the third towel horizontally to make a couple long pieces (4" X length of the towel).


4. Add those long strips to the bottom of the main part of the skirt from step 2. Sew front and back of the skirt together.

5. To make the pockets, cut 2 -- 6 1/2" X 7" rectangles from rest of the third towel. Take care of the edges except the top (6") with your favorite method to prevent fraying.


6. Fold those three sides with 1/4" seam and press with an iron. Fold the top of the pocket two times and sew.



7. Pin the pocket on to the skirt. I placed them a little off to the sides. 5" from the top and the side of the pocket will go to the back part of the skirt by 1 1/2".
Use the picture as a guide.




{How to}-- Top

1. Fold the towel in half with right sides together. Cut off the bottom seams and mark the sides as shown in the picture.



2. Sew the sides.


3. Mark the center of the folded part and mark the neckline. After I made mine, I wished I cut the neckline smaller, so it is best to measure your child’s head first.


4. Cut the front of the neckline open, then, mark the line for the back part of the neck. I drew the line higher than the front.



5. Lay the last kitchen towel flat on the cutting mat. Cut seams off and then cut diagonally to make bias tape (I cut mine 1 3/4" wide). Sew them together and press with an iron to make the bias tape. You can also see how I make my bias tape here. The bias tape will cover the neckline, two loops for the belt, and the belt.


6. Pin the bias tape around the neckline. Sew, turn it towards the inside and finish with slip stitch.



7. Now, you have the top.



{How to}--Finishing up

1. Pin the top and the skirt together and sew. I forgot to take pictures on these steps, but basically, you sew the edge of the top of the skirt with large stitches, pull the thread to gather the fabrics. Make sure that the length of the edge of the top and the skirt will match up. Right sides together, pin them, and sew. After you take care of the edge with Serger or zig-zag, press the seam toward the top. Top stitch the seam. You can go here to see what I have done with another project.

2. Cut 2-- 1 3/4" strips for the loops. Sew them on to sides of the dress.


3. Put through the belt to the loops...and it is ready to wear.



My little girl is five going on six soon, but she is small for her age. The dress is a bit too big for her, for now, although, it might be perfect for regular 6 year olds.



The dress is soft, airy, and comfy...it is perfect for a summer afternoon to relax.

43 comments:

  1. How cute and amazing is that dress?! I love it!
    Jo-Anna

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  2. Wow. So cute! I can't wait to try this for my little sisters! :)

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  3. When Scarlet O'Hara could make a dress out of a curtain, why not make one of kitchen towels!!!
    Sachiko, you are a genius!!!!
    I love it!!

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  4. This is so lovely! Wish those towels were large enough to make a dress for me :)

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  5. Sachiko - this is amazing! What a genius idea! I love it :)

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  6. Please tell your daughter that she did a wonderful job posing! The dress looks really sweet... my granddaughter is small for her age also... but just turning 4 . So, maybe this will wait til she is a bit bigger. Thanks for the tutorial! Good Job!

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  7. Oh my how cute this little dress came out.

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  8. Amazing! I love it. I wish they made kitchen towels in Mama size:)

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  9. That is ridiculously cute! You are amazing.

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  10. What a clever idea! It turned out very cute.

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  11. I love it!! I linked to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-girls-dress-from-five-kitchen-towels/2011/07/29/
    --Anne

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  12. That is the cutest dress I've ever seen! What creativity. I wish I had some. I'm visiting because Leslie@A flower that continues to bloom featured you on "Pay It Forward". I love scrolling through an seeing all these great ideas. I'm thinking that I might just take on a project.

    I also have a new camera I'm trying to get used to using. But I think your ahead of me on that score too! You photos look great.

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  13. Thank you for sharing your tutorial. You've got me thinking about all the things I could make from tea towels! I'm sure your daughter loves her easy breezy new dress!

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  14. you're a wonder Sachiko! Such a darling dress! I am learning so much by reading about fabric possibilities in your blog! Keep up the creativity, I love it :)

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  15. Absolutely adorable! Your creativity is inspiring, thanks for sharing

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  16. ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS...and you are sooo very talented...who would've ever thought!!

    How kind of you to share the pattern tutrorial.

    Love the green check/stripe...perfect.

    Thank you..
    HOPE

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  17. so beautiful and creative! Your little girl is adorable.
    Kathy

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  18. Great idea! The dress and your daughter look so pretty. Thanks for sharing!
    Gloria x

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  19. I absolutely loved this! Im amazed!

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  20. Oh I love it! I'm always seeing cute tea towels at the supermarket and never have an excuse to buy them. I'll definitely have to try this!

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  21. 5 kitchen towels into a dress? Girl, you really can do it all!!

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  22. amazing!!! seriously... what a great idea!

    ~selina

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  23. How simple and inventive! Thank you for sharing .

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  24. I love the thought process... super neat idea!

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  25. thanks so much for posting this and sharing your pattern! You are so talented!! Your daughter is absolutely adorable!

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  26. Crazy for This design! I have made many skirts for my Grandbabies from
    Tea Towels too. Anthropoligie has some Amazing ones that are often on Sale. Thank you for sharing with
    us....
    Tracy
    junkposse.blogspot.com

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  27. This is the cutest thing I've seen all summer! I might have to adopt a little girl just to have someone to make this for!

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  28. This seems like it would be a great swim cover-up. The towels would be more absorbent than most dress fabrics and it's so light and loose that it would dry quickly. Super sweet! Now I need to keep my eyes peeled for great buys on tea towels. I think Ross would be a great place to look. Thanks for the great tutorial.

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  29. This is AMAZING!! I love it! I am so archiving this post for when I have a little girl.

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  30. Awesome dress! Your tutorial was so easy to understand, I was able to make one for my own daughter. Thanks so much! Here is mine: http://wp.me/p1wqaG-b7

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  31. I love that little dress! I'm going to buy several sets of towels and make one for myself! I want a cozy kitchen towel dress! I might patch some up and make some kitchen towel capris, too!
    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  32. I absolutely LOVE this dress & plan on making it for my daughter, THANK YOU!! I have reposted it, on my blog (pikldpink.com), with a link to your site, too! I will continue to say prayers, for you & your family, too, as you go through your procedure!

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  33. I made the dress & it ended up being my Easter dress!! I purchased dish towels from World Market & I think they may have been larger than the ones you used, in your tutorial?? I just want to thank you, because your tutorial was so easy to follow & now I have a new favorite dress!

    http://www.pikldpink.com/2012/04/4-bs.html

    Laura @ PikldPink

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  34. Amazing idea!!It is a beautiful dress!

    Sandra :)

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  35. Waaaow... it's brilliant idea.... i will hunting for the towels soon... :-)

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