Do you ever have old bath or beach towels that you just don't know what to do with them? Should you give them away? Or maybe use them as a rag? Or well, I guess we could throw them away too.. Instead of throwing out the old, let's upcycle and make it new!
Our educator, Laura, took her old bath towels and one coordinating hand towel to make this cool project! Follow the directions below on how to create a deck chair cover with a pocket! This project is perfect for your summer lounging days!
Here's what you will need:
2 bath towels (any size) and one coordinating hand towel (I love the clear section at stores and look every time I am there).
Embroidery design of your choice if desired
Size 14 embroidery needle
Color keep topping
Floriani Perfect Stick
Stitch perfect tape
Size 14 Microtex needle
Okay so now let's talk about how to build this beautiful new accessory that would make an amazing getting out of the pool hangout spot! First, Hoop one layer of Floriani perfect stick in your hoop paper side up, score lightly with a needle to
expose the sticky. Place your towel sticking it to the stabilizer. Using Heat n Gone topping or Floriani color
keep topping, cut a piece large enough to cover the embroidery design size and baste the three layers together. Embroider your design choice.
Next, place your two bath towels wrong sides together and with a Microtex size 14 needle, stitch across the short side of the towels to attach them to each other. This is a perfect time to use the Floriani Stick perfection tape to keep the towels straight and even, if you use pins on thick fabrics, it is very easy to cause them to “shift”, and the tape will just wash right out when your project is complete.
After that step, drape your towels across the top of the chair you are planning on covering it with. Smoothing the towel, place a straight pin into the top chair towel to mark where you want to sew your pocket. Notice the flower head pin on the left hand side of the picture. This is what I lined up the hand towel to.
Line on edge of the hand towel wrong side to the right side of the bath towel. Overlap the two towels approximately ½” to 1” (I just used the folded over hem of the hand towel) and using Floriani Stitch Perfection Tape to hold them together. Using a strong stitch on your sewing machine (I used a two step elasticator zigzag stitch and made it narrower) stitch the hand towel to the bath towel.
Fold the hand towel up and match the top edges. Stitch the two sides of the hand towel closed, completing your pocket. If desired, add additional lines to hold your water bottle, sunscreen tube etc. Cover your chair, grab a book or magazine and enjoy some sun time this weekend.