Perhaps you have heard of unpaper towels and have wondered
what they are? Unpaper towels work just like the paper towels used in the
kitchen and for cleaning but are made of cloth. This makes it possible to reduce
the amount of waste produced by paper towels. Unpaper towels can be used like paper
towels but when you are done you just have to wash and dry them and they are
ready to be used again!
Here I'll show you how to make your own unpaper towels!
You will need:
- 1 ½ yards of flannel / ¾ of each fabric if I want two different
colors
- 1 ½ Yards terry cloth / ¾ of each fabric if I want two different
colors
- 24 snap sets
- Snap Pliers
- Pins
- Scissors / rotary cutter
- Something to mark fabric
- Thread
- Sewing machine
- A pencil or stick
- An empty paper towel roll
Now you are ready to start!
1. Wash and iron the fabric before cutting.
2. Cut 13x13 inch squares of each fabric, 12 of each or 6 if
you're using two different colors. You can mark the fabric to know where to cut
with scissors or to know where to put the ruler when using a rotary cutter.
3. Now separate the fabric into pairs, one terry cloth with
one flannel. Put the right-side of the flannel facing the terry cloth.
4. Secure the fabric together with pins in each corner and in-between
the corners so it does not move while you sew. You may want to use more pins if
it is easier for you.
5. Adjust your machine as you like for straight seams. Here
is how I have it set.
6. Sew around the fabric, leaving an open space between
where you start and stop for when you have to turn them right side out. I sew
by lining up the edge of the sewing foot with the edge of the fabric. When you
reach the corners make them squared.
7. With scissors cut the corners of the squares without
cutting the thread. This helps so that the corners are not bulky.
8. Now turn the squares right-side out through the opening
you left.
9. Push the corners into points using a pencil or stick.
10. Sew around the edge of the towels.
11. Sew a line from one corner to the other dividing the
towel. This helps the towel maintain its shape when you wash it.
12. Put snaps in the corners of the towel. Make sure you
face them the right way so that the towels can snap together.
13. Roll the towels onto an empty paper towel roll.
Now put them where you normally put your paper towels and they
are ready to use!
Si te gustaría esta entrada en español por favor visita Pompa En Tela.
*Raquel is a contributing writer as part of the Thrifty Nifty Mommy Blogger Network. You can read more from Raquel (In Spanish!) on her personal blog, Pompa En Tela.*
The funny thing about unpaper towels is that before paper towels were made we just used cloth napkins or cloths or...wait for it... towels. So really you could just drop the paper instead of adding an 'un'. Seriously, this whole buying a role of unpaper towels thing just is one of my pet peeves!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, great tutorial! Glad to see someone sharing how to DIY instead of selling it!
(I hope posting my little rant here isn't taken in the wrong way. I mean no offensive)
This is impressive. You save a lot of money and it can be fun making these. You can use your imagination on how you want your towels to look like. Nice. :)
ReplyDelete