Floor cleaning cloth
Who said you can't clean the floor with old towels? It is possible if they are not fleecy, but dense. There is a bad omen that washing the floor with towels means loss of well-being and loneliness. If you don't believe in old wives' tales, you can save on buying cleaning rags.
We will sew a special rag attachment for a mop:
- Place the mop on the towel and measure the width of the product.
- Draw the letter “H”, the width will be the jumper in the letter. You need two such parts.
- Sew them from the wrong side and turn them inside out.
- You will need special Velcro for fabrics. Sew it to the edges of the horizontal stripes. This way the rag will stay on the mop and you won’t have to constantly adjust it. Velcro can be replaced with buttons.
Potholders
Make your own oven mitt and cloth for hot pots. It is better to take thick towels so that the items perform their new function well.
How to make a mitten:
- Place your palm on a clean sheet of paper and trace it with a pencil, retreating 3-4 cm.
- Cut out the pattern.
- Place it on the towels and outline with chalk or marker. Make two parts. If the front and back sides of the canvas are different, take this into account - you need to apply the template to different sides.
- Let's process the edges first. To do this, sew the edges with an overlocker. You can use this function on a sewing machine, and if there are no devices, just bend 0.5 cm and sew by hand. This is necessary to prevent the threads from coming out. Now make a 2cm hem and sew again, preferably with a blind stitch. If you don’t have this skill, use thick colored threads and any decorative stitch.
- Place the pieces right sides together and stitch them tightly, leaving only an opening for the hand.
- Turn out the potholder and use.
A simple pot holder for a long handle of a pot or pan is even easier to make. To do this, cut out a rectangle of the required size and sew a tube attachment from it. Place it on your utensils every time you prepare food. This way you don’t have to constantly look for oven mitts, take off and put on a mitten.
Washcloth
Terry towels make great washcloths! You will need a piece of foam rubber, and if you don’t have it, open up an old washcloth, pour boiling water over the filler to disinfect it, and dry it.
How to make a washcloth:
- Cut out a rectangle from foam rubber. Size is optional, it all depends on which washcloth is most convenient for you to wash with.
- We wrap the foam rubber in a towel and measure out the required piece of material. You can use small kitchen towels to avoid cutting anything.
- We sew the edges in a convenient way. First, clamp the three edges together, insert the foam, and stitch the hole by hand.
How to make a rug out of towels with your own hands
There are several techniques that can be used to make a high-quality rug.
The weaving technique will allow you to quickly create a simple product. You don't even need to use a sewing machine to weave. This technique is suitable for children's creativity.
Since all towels are different in color and shape, the carpets will not be the same. You can “play” with form and content.
The patchwork technique is quite labor-intensive, since it will be necessary to cut out and process each piece.
The appliqué technique will also require perseverance, but will help you create original works with different textures.
Preparing towels according to the required shape
Before assembling the model, it is necessary to cut the material. If you plan to use weaving, then you need to cut the towels into long strips, 5-8 cm wide. It is advisable to sew the strips on one long side and turn them back, thus creating long trims. This will make the product more neat. But if there is no desire or a sewing machine, then the cut sides can simply be folded inward.
Take the towels and cut them into long strips 6-8 cm wide.
For the patchwork technique, you need to prepare parts measuring 15X15 cm. You will need 50 such squares for a model measuring 50X100 cm. It will be interesting to look at an option where squares made of a terry towel will be combined with details made of smooth cotton. For the reverse side, you can also prepare 50 squares or a flat piece of towel 55x110 cm.
The size and thickness of the mat will depend on what kind of towels you have, how many of them and how wide the strips you cut.
Advice. If you use a patchwork technique, it is better to put all the details into a composition and leave it for several hours. Then look at it with fresh eyes - you might want to change something.
For the applique, you need to prepare two rectangles of terry towels and figures of smooth fabric: cotton or silk. These can be simple stripes, squares or circles.
Cotton material with a bright floral pattern is suitable for appliques.
Important! Cutting terry towels produces a lot of debris, so it is important to cut them in a place where it will be easy to sweep up the residue later.
How and how to fasten them correctly
The process of creating a product depends on the technology. The easiest way is weaving. A regular braid is woven from three long parts.
As the braids are created, the parts are wrapped in a spiral and stitched together. Once the circle reaches the desired size, the last braid is secured.
To keep the braid straight, secure it with pins and thread.
Advice. It is better to make the middle from towels of darker tones, and decorate the perimeter with light material. The product will look more stylish.
You should not weave braids from strips of different colors - such a fabric will be too colorful. The exception here is the combination of contrasting options: white and black stripes.
A rug using the patchwork technique will require a lot of effort to create. First, the squares are sewn together on a machine so that strips of 10 squares are obtained. The seams between them are processed and smoothed. After this, the strips are sewn together. One side is ready. You should prepare your other half in the same way.
Any housewife will find several of her own towels of different lengths.
After this, the halves need to be folded with their right sides facing each other and sewn together around the perimeter, leaving a free space of 7-10 cm. Through this gap, the product must be turned onto the reverse side. After that, all that remains is to decorate it.
Another way to make a rug from old towels with your own hands is to sew two towels together and decorate them with appliqué. To do this, first the applique is sewn onto the front part, then both halves of the product are connected with the front sides and stitched around the perimeter. After this, the product is turned inside out, and the remaining seam is carefully sewn up by hand. The product for the bathroom is ready.
Make a cute terry bath mat. If you stand on it with your bare foot, you will experience a pleasant sensation.
Decor of rugs
The created item can be further decorated.
If there is a cat in the house, then they will also appreciate the work of their mistress. It’s so nice to bask on the soft terry fabric of a warm carpet.
The following options are suitable for this:
- Fringe. Ready-made versions are sold in craft stores. It is well suited for a rug with applique.
- Sewing. Lace sewing will make the rug more delicate. However, it is better to choose colored braid, as white will get dirty very quickly. The braid is sewn around the perimeter of the rug. This finish is suitable for plain products in delicate, pastel colors.
- Rope harness. This finishing option can be used on a patchwork or woven rug. For decoration you will need a rope with a diameter of 2-4 cm. It is sewn manually around the perimeter. The peculiarity of this type of decor is that the rope gives the product structure.
- Seashells. This is a very romantic and colorful material for decoration. Sets of shells with holes are sold in craft stores. The shells are hand sewn to the material. This is quite a painstaking task. But the reward for it will be the unusual appearance of the product.
Pillow
The towel can serve as a filler for a new pillow. If the material looks more or less decorative, use it as a top layer. Pillows can be very different: square and round, large and miniature, in the form of a cushion or a crescent for relaxing on the road.
If the towels are frayed in places, cut up the best parts and sew a patchwork pillow. And if a lot of rags have accumulated, you will get a blanket.
Tip: Pets love to rest on terry pillows. Make a personal bed for your cat or dog - they will appreciate it. You can also sew toys for your pet: pigtails, balls, teasers.
Items made with your own hands are valued higher and bring joy every day. Especially if they used materials that almost went into the trash. Every towel can have a second life, you just need to use your imagination.
What tools are needed to create a rug?
You can create a rug from old towels with your own hands in just half an hour. You will need a minimum of tools and materials for this:
- Old towels
- Cotton cloth or an old smooth towel
- Tape measure or ruler
- Tailor's scissors, which can be replaced with large stationery scissors
- Sewing machine or thick needle with strong thread
- Inspiration and desire to create
We suggest making a soft rug from old towels for the bathroom, toilet or hallway.
To make the model neat, it is better to choose plain towels. When weaving, the pattern on the canvas will turn into small motley ripples, which can ruin the overall impression. But several plain towels of different colors will create pleasant shimmers.
Every home has old terry towels. Usually in the middle part they are worn so badly that they become transparent when held up to light.
If the towels have already been painted with a bright print, they can be used to create a rug using the patchwork technique. The diversity of this option will be justified, which will create a rustic flavor in the bathroom.
They can be used to make useful things in the future, for example, a do-it-yourself rug from old towels.
