Love and Laundry

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The One-Towel Tote

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one towel tote

I signed my kids up for swimming lessons this year.  As soon as I signed them up, I was dreaming up some kind of a towel tote that they could carry their wet clothes in.  I really wanted to challenge myself and come up with something on my own.  It’s so easy to Google a tutorial and follow along.  But, I thought that this should be a simple enough project that I could pull it together without help.  I took photos along the way so hopefully I can show you how also!  And please don’t be intimidated by the massive amounts of photos! This is a one hour or less project.  It’s simple enough for a beginning sewer.  I just tend to be very thorough sometimes. =)

Here’s what you need:
A bath towel and tread


It really is just a one towel tote! I made two because I have two kids in swimming lessons.  I bought my towels at Wal-Mart and they are just standard size bath towels. According to the website, they measure 52” x 27”.  I loved having the stripes! It made measuring and cutting a lot easier, but it’s definitely not required.

towels

STEP ONE: First start by cutting the border off of the towel.  Unless you have a heavy duty needle, standard needles don’t like to go through that part. In fact, they’ll bend or break.  And, yes…if you’re wondering, I found out from experience.

one towel tote step 1

STEP TWO: Once that nasty stuff is off, you need to cut out the pieces. It’s really easy to do. First, cut 4-inches off each long side of the towel.  See how having the stripes comes in handy? I just followed one all the way up.  Then cut 10-inches off the top and the bottom of the towel.  This is what you should have:

one towel tote step 2

Take the two rectangle end pieces, and trim those down to 10 1/2 inches wide by 7 inches tall. Those will be the pockets.

one towel tote step 2b

STEP 3: Now, if you have a serger, I envy you! Serge those raw edges up.  Otherwise, zig-zag all of the edges.  I’ve done towel projects before where I didn’t do that and, trust me, towels fray.  I’ll be completely honest, though.  I didn’t zig-zag around the long skinny pieces. They’ll be the handle and I figured that since the seam was on the inside and has lots of re-enforcement, it wouldn’t need it.  I’ll come back and update if I’m wrong.

one towel tote step 3

STEP 4: After your raw edges are taken care of, you can hem the top of the pockets  and the short ends of the main piece.  I did about 1/2” hem on mine. It doesn’t really have to be exact.

one towel tote step 4

I didn’t have a good picture of the finished hemmed pieces to show you, but if you’re super confused, these are the parts we’re hemming:

one towel tote step 4b

STEP 5: Now, sew the bottom of the pockets onto the outside of the main towel.  For the placement, I folded the towel in half (which you probably don’t have to do.  It helped me figure out where to pin it, but since I’ve already done the measurements for you, folding is probably optional.)  Pin the pocket right side down  8 3/4 inches away from the top seam.  Make sure you’re pinning to the outside of the main piece. If you want pockets on both sides, then repeat on the other side.

one towel tote step 6

Now sew the bottom of pockets down:

one towel tote step 6b

STEP 6:  Get your handles ready. You need to take the two long, skinny pieces and miter them together to make one really long continuous piece.

Place one end on top of the other creating a large L shape. Then, stitch diagonally.  Here’s a photo incase you are a visual person like me:

one towel tote step 7a

Once it’s stitched together, trim the excess towel.

one towel tote step 7b

Then, unfold.

one towel tote step 7c

Fold the handle in half right sides together, and sew.  I sewed with about a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

one towel tote step 7d

Now for the hardest part of the whole project, turning that handle right side out.  If you have a “handle turner inside outer” I’m incredibly envious!  What? You’ve never heard of a “handle turner inside outer”?  Can someone remind me what those are called so I can go buy one?  Towel material doesn’t like to slide against itself and turn right side out.  I improvised and used one of my mini-blind turning sticks.  I’m sure I’m amazing you all with my advanced terminology.  {UPDATE: reader Judy clarified what the “handle turner insider outer” is. They are called Loop Turning Tools or Bodkins  and can be bought on Amazon. I’m ordering one right away! Thank you Judy!! You’re a lifesaver!!!!}

Once you get that thing turned inside out, my hat goes off to you! YAY!! You got through the hardest part! The rest is a breeze from here!

STEP 7: Pin and sew the handle onto the bag.

This is how you pin it:

one towel tote step 8

My two pieces of advice are 1. Make sure you center the handles (fold the tote in half and try holding it while it’s still pinned so you know the handles are even) and 2. Make sure you center the handles (meaning they are equal distance from the sides of the tote).

Then, sew the handle in place.

one towel tote step 8b

Don’t sew it in the center, sew it along both ends. And sew all the way around. I started on the outside (like the photo) and sewed all the way around in a complete circle.

one towel tote step 8c

Then, repeat for the inside side.

When you’re finished sewing the handle on, re-enforce the raw edges left at the bottom of the tote. I zig-zag stitched it with a width of 5 and a stitch length of 1.5.

one towel tote step 8d

STEP 8: Phew! We’re in the home stretch now! All you have left to do is stitch the sides of the tote together to make a bag!

With the right sides together, pin the open ends. You can either pin straight down, or put a little “W” pucker in the bottom to create depth to your bag. I pulled in about 4-inches (2-inches for each side) to create the “W” at the bottom.

one towel tote step 9

It’s sort of hard to see with all of the bulk, but this is what you’re going for at the bottom:

one towel tote step 9b

Then, stitch the sides together:

one towel tote step 9c

I used about 1/2” seam allowance here, but it really doesn’t matter too much. Whatever you feel comfortable with. When you’re done with both sides, turn the tote inside out.  And that’s it!! Your bag is finished!!

one towel tote 2

Now you can take it to the pool or the beach.

one towel tote 3

And if you have wet clothes, you won’t have to worry about a place to put them!

Comments

  1. Kelley @ TheGrantLife.com says

    Wow! This is super cute! You really make it look so simple too.. I wish I was a sewer. :)

    Make sure you link this up to my Friday party if you get a chance!

  7. Our Pinteresting Family says

    That is a great idea for summer!! Thanks for sharing it with us. Megan

  13. Tiffany says

    I LOVE it! What a clever idea….These are so perfect for swimming!

    I just found your blog for the first time via Craft-O-Maniac and I love it! What a cute blog name and blog to match! I am your newest follower. :)

    I just started a new blog over the weekend, it’s not much yet but I’d love if you had time to pay me a visit! :) http://tiffanyandcoblog.blogspot.com

    Have a great day! :)

  14. Rolled Up Pretty says

    Okay seriously SO cute! This is PERFECT for a boat bag too :) I always need the perfect bag to take on a boat, and never have one I want to get wet in case a wave splashes in! Ha. Thanks for sharing, I am for sure going to make one especially considering I have five million old towels! CUTEST BLOG YOU HAVE TOO! :)

  17. Katherines Corner says

    Oh my goodness you are bringing back happy memories for me with this sweet project. When I was a teenager my Mother and I made these! I love the yellow strip bag you made. Thank you for inspiring me, I think I will make these for our grandchildren. Thank you for sparking a fun memory too. Hopping over from Cowgirl Up, happily following your sweet blog xo

  18. Bronwyn says

    Thanks so much for this great tutorial. just this past weekend I was telling my hubby that the kids needed new bags to carry their swimming to the pool and back. This might be the ticket!!

    By the way – I am a new follower. Stop by and see me at Queen B Creative Me.

  19. Judy says

    One website had a tool called a loop turning tool, another used a bodkin which wasn’t as popular. Chopsticks, bobby pins, blunt pencils work as well.
    Cute bag. My grandchildren would love them.

    • Etcetorize says

      Thanks for linking up! I like your bag so much that I’m featuring it at tonight’s party. I hope you’ll stop by to grab a featured button from the sidebar and link up again~

  24. Lisa says

    Awesome! I am a beginner when it comes to sewing, so I LOVE when I find a tutorial that it looks like I can follow. Thanks for sharing!

  26. SweetPepperRose says

    Cool Bag and Great Tutorial – I, for one, need tutorials and I like your pics, which are so helpful! Love the yellow striped one – going to WM tomorrow and get a couple to try :) New Linky follower.
    JoAnn
    sweeetpepperrose.blogspot.com

  29. Rachel says

    I so want to make one of these! Great tutorial. Thanks so much for sharing at Terrific Tuesdays.
    Rachel
    adventuresofadiymom.blogspot.com

  30. Jill says

    I need to make this! It turned out so cute – and practical too! Thanks for sharing at the Pomp Party! Pinning to our Pomp Party board!

    Jill @ Create.Craft.Love.

  32. Liz @ Here's to Handy Andy says

    What a great idea! You make it look simple, but I think I would mess it up… Thanks so much for linking up to our Pinteresting Link Party!

  35. Christine says

    You are soooo TALENTED Shatzi!! I LOVE the yellow and white!! Great tutorial!

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!

  36. Becolorful says

    You are more than welcome for the feature this week. I thought this was such an easy, timely and affordable project. Loved that yellow. :D I was proud to share it on this week’s Motivated Monday. Thanks for sharing.
    p

  38. Claiming Our Space says

    I love this. And the stripes make it so easy to line things up. Thanks so much for sharing on Tout It Tuesday!

  40. Laura says

    Super cute! My son is doing a summer day camp where he gets to go swimming every other day. A bag like this would be perfect for his wet things.

  43. Michelles Tasty Creations says

    Brilliant! I will definitely be making these for everyone this summer. Great project. Thanks so much for stopping by Creative Thursday last week. I couldn’t do these parties without you. Can’t wait to see what you link up this week. Have a great week.
    Michelle

  46. Terry says

    This is a fabulous tutorial and so timely for all the moms who need something for summer swimming lessons. Great idea. Thanks so much for sharing at our party this week.

  47. Alyssa says

    I love this bag, this is a great idea for the pool. Plus, this is an awesome tutorial! Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday!

  50. Gilded Rose says

    Thank you for sharing this pattern and tutorial! I made two of them, one for hubby and I, for shower bags as we are fulltime RV’ers who use various shower facilities. The towels I used were slightly larger, but I used the same measurements, except when putting on the pockets, I made them 10 inches deep rather than 7. Also, I really hate turning, so on the handle, I sewed the whole thing into a loop, the folded over the long edges (after zig-zagging the edges) overlapping them in the center. I then sewed a close (1.4 on my machine) zigzag down the center over the overlapped edges. Then I sewed it on to the bag as in the tutorial. While I have an additional seam down the middle, it scarecely shows, and I think it lends additional stability.

  51. Jen says

    What an awesome idea Shatzi! This would be perfect for our trips to the beach when we don’t want to wait for our suits to dry before we can leave :~) Thanks for such a great tutorial!

  53. Mirka says

    Love the tutorial and have bought a few towels and will make some of your bags as a Christmas gifts for my granddaughters and daughter-in-law, and not forget myself!

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  55. Elaina King says

    I really like this towel tote idea. My kids are both in swimming lessons and I could sew two of these – one for each kid! I may even have my daughter take part in the sewing with her new Janome hello kitty kids sewing machine. Thanks for a fun and useful sewing project idea!