Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

It’s the last day of Cooks Week  here on the Purl Bee where we have been presenting a series of easy last minute gifts for all the cooks on your list. This last pattern is the easiest and quickest of the bunch, and it’s also a truly great gift: our Super Simple Dishtowels! No mitered corners, no tricky stitches, just some beautiful fabric and a few straight seams!

Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

Dishtowels are not only essential kitchen companions (for minor spills, hot handles, and wet dishes), but they also give personality to a kitchen with a dash of color and an element of surprise!

Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

For this set I used Robert Kaufman’s awesome Double Cloth woven cotton. With two different sides, Double Cloth delivers a unique and unexpected contrast with almost no effort at all. You can whip up a set in less time than it would take to go to the store and buy one. Plus, your dishtowels will be made with love! –Molly

Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

PS- To check out our other Cooks Week projects, please click here for our Simple Linen Apron and here for our Simple Stitched Hot Pads. Wouldn’t all three together make a wonderful gift?

Materials

Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

  • ½ yard of Robert Kaufman’s Double Cloth, Plaid Indigo.
  • ½ yard of Robert Kaufman’s Double Cloth, Hatches Indigo.
  • 1 yard of 14 mm Twill Tape, Ecru
  • 2 small spools of Gutermann’s 100% cotton thread in colors 1040 (ecru) and 7330 (blue)

These are enough materials to make a set of four 15-inch by 25-inch dishtowels.

Pattern

Cutting 

Cut each piece of the fabric into two rectangles 17 inches wide by 27 inches tall.

Cut the twill tape into two 9-inch lengths.

Sewing

For the first dishtowel pick one side of the fabric to be the right side. (You will treat the opposite side of the fabric as the right side for the second towel.)

With the right side facing up press, fold and press the long sides of the rectangle over ½ inch twice towards the right side.  Pin the folds into place. Using the matching thread, edgestitch down these folds.

Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

Snip off the tips of all four corners of the dishtowel.

With the right side facing up, fold and press one short side of the rectangle over ½ inch twice towards the right side. Pin the fold into place. Using the matching thread, edgestitch down the fold.

Fold one of the pieces of twill tape in half so that its raw ends meet.

Fold and press down the second short edge of the dishtowel ½ inch towards the right side.

Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

With the dishtowel oriented right side up with the unfinished short edge at the top, slip the raw ends of the twill tape loop under the fold at the top right  corner of the dishtowel, as shown above. Make sure that the raw ends of the twill tape loop extend ¼ inch beyond the side hem of the dishtowel.

Fold down the top edge and the encased loop once more ½ inch towards the right side. Press and pin the fold into place.

Super Simple Dishtowels | Purl Soho

Edgestich down the top fold. Then go over the right hand side seam just at the top right corner to secure the loop into place.

Repeat for the second cut rectangle, treating the opposite side of the fabric as the right side. Make a whole other pair and you’re all done!

Update 2024: You can explore our current collection of beautiful fabrics and supplies on our page of Sewing Tools + Notions!