Tuesday, October 6, 2009

TOWEL that's PUFFY for BABY



Pillow Top Towel
It's the best name I can come up with, so that's what I'm gonna call it.

*I've been thinking about this project for quite a while, so I hope you like it! *

This towel is for a baby to lay on after his bath. It's absorbent, soft and fluffy. It has a blanket like quality, yet it's a towel. It is perfect for cushioning a hard surface (like the floor or a counter top) while drying, lotioning and dressing a baby. Heck, I need to make one for me now.

Here is the one I made for Cohen (the cutest dang baby I've ever seen!)


And here (not wrapped yet):


Here is what you do. First find a towel without any ribbing. I found mine at JC Penney. Fold in half. If you want to do some applique, do it before the next step.

After you applique, fold in half, right sides together. Sew around edges. Leave 6 - 8 inches in the top-middle open.

Cut batting to the size of the towel.


Fold batting in thirds and insert into the opening in the top.



Open batting in the towel and smooth flat. Hand stitch the opening at the top closed.

Quilt the towel with a large blunt needle and the yarn of your choice.



I placed quarters on the towel to map out where I wanted to thread the yard.


After you thread and knot your ties, cut with scissors to desired length.




That's it. A soft, puffy towel for baby.

28 comments:

Shanna said...

Hailey, you are more crafty than anyone I know. You are SO talented! The puffy towel is a super idea!!

Miss Heather said...

SO cute! I love it! :)

Erica Williams said...

I LOVE the bath mat and am so glad to be the recipient of such a great gift!!! It is darling Hailey. You are at the very top of my "most talented people I know" list. Thank you!

Crystal said...

Wow I don't know where you come up with all of these adorable ideas but I love them.

Hailey said...

Thanks you guys! You've made my day. :)

Mariella said...

how exactly do you do the part with the quilting and the yarn? sorry, i'm just getting into the crafty kind of stuff, and haven't come across this yet.

Hailey said...

Use either yarn or crochet cotton for tying. Choose the shortest blunt needle you can find that has a big enough eye and thread it with a three-foot length of yarn or string. This should be pulled through the eye until the ends are even, to create a double strand, but should not be knotted.
(For this project I actually had four strands).

Tying is always done from the top of the quilt, with one hand underneath to make sure the needle goes through all thicknesses.

As you work from the top, take as small a stitch as possible down and back up through all layers of cloth at the first marker in one of the end rows. Leave a two-inch tail of thread. Tie a square knot and pull it tight.

Don't cut the thread! just go on to the next mark and repeat the process until all the yarn on the needle is used.

At that point go back and snip the thread in two halfway between each pair of ties. Leave the tails on, and try to keep them all the same length.

Normally tying is done on quilt frames. But because this project is so small it's manageable without the frames.

I hope that helps!

Amy {The Idea Room} said...

Oh wow! I love this idea! Yours turned out so cute!

Stacie said...

Loving this idea too!! Sooo C*U*T*E!! I can't believe I didn't see this sooner. Hope ya don't mind me linking! :)

Allie said...

Way cute!! Where did you find that super cute fabric used for the applique? I've been looking for some cute boy fabric

Crystal said...

Awesome idea! I think every baby needs one of these-so cute.

-Crystal

Unknown said...

Came over from Creative Crate... so so so darling is this, I love it, and the colors you chose are darling, cute boy name too!

Jen said...

This looks like a great goto shower gift...thanks!!!

The Furman's said...

What is ribbing and do you have a tutorial on applique?

The Furman's said...

Super cute by the way...

Infarrantly Creative said...

That is so cute..perfect boyish colors also. Great job!

Patsy said...

Precious!!! You are so talented.

Anne said...

AWESOME! It's practical but cute, too! I am SO making this for my friend who just had a baby.

I featured your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-sew-a-pillow-top-towel-for-after-babys-bath/2010/01/12/

--Anne

Hailey said...

Thanks for all the comments and links to this post! I really enjoyed this project and I hope you will too.

Here are some answers to some of your questions.

1. What is ribbing?

Ribbing is the raised pattern in the towel. I prefer to use a towel without ribbing.

2. Where did I get the boy material?

I love the shop, Material Girls. Here is their website:

http://www.thematerialgirlsquilting.com/

3. Do I have an applique tutorial?

Not currently. Here is one that I just found:

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=518

Helen said...

This is adorable I am going to make one for my grand baby due in July

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Hailey, for this great idea. My daughter had made one for our first grandson. It's wonderful and we look forward to using it. I've posted it on my site if you want to have a look.

lovinsanta said...

I love this project! I had a few questions...do you stitch around more than once since the edges are thick on the towel. Also, are you putting the right sides together to sew, and then turning inside out before putting batting in to give a more finished look? Thanks getting ready to tackle this project. Also, did you pre-shrink the towel/batting?

Thanks for your help!

Heather

Angie - treasuresfortots@gmail.com said...

How cute!

Come share your towel tutorial at my party: Thursday's Treasures!
http://treasuresfortots.blogspot.com/2010/01/thursdays-treasures-week-7.html

Beth Eaton said...

What an adorable idea! Where did you come up with the idea. I'm going to steal the idea if you don't mind! I have several baby showers coming up...

Heather O'Pry said...

Such a cute towel, I absolutely love it! I am a beginner when it comes to sewing, I would love to see a tutorial on the appliques as well. I just found your blog and love it so I will be back. Thanks for the ideas.

Sew Can Do said...

Love this idea! My baby girl would love this too. Makes me want a giant one for me instead of a regular towel.

lilmizlynn said...

That is really cute. I'm gonna make this for my gurlfren who is gonna give birth soon! Thank you for sharing. :)

Larissa said...

found this from craft gossip- i wanted a unique gift I could make - luv it cause it is cute and useful!