towel patchwork

This project was fun, fun, fun! It went so fast. About one hour to cut all the pieces, another hour and a   half or so to design the rows and stitch them up and lastly about an hour to stitch the rows together. All done over the course of 2 nights and one morning. I think I enjoyed this project so much because I just dove right in--no rules, no precise measuring, no one else to please except myself and I'm easy :)

Of course I was eager to put it to use right away, along with my little shadow there digging in the sand. The size is not very big, perfect for 2 people to lay down on or about 3 for sitting. All seams were zig-zagged along with the outside edge. I added the lace hem tape because I have ton and I thought it was time to start tapping into the bounty (it all came from thrift stores).

I started collecting the towels several months ago during my thrift shop outings. Vintage towels are small, not like the giant things you can get today, so this blanket took 4 towels plus one large-ish hand towel that had the pretty pink flowers and butterflies. I cut out as many 10 x 10 squares as I could get from each towel and fitted the left overs in to fill out the rows and to use as much of the towels as possible. I really like the look of the mis-matched seams and different sized shapes. Something about the randomness of it makes it very appealing to me. Once all the rows were sewn together all that was needed was to square up one edge and add the hem tape.

Reasons to love a project like this:
*fast and easy---just jump in and don't think too much :)
*if you get your towels second hand, you are recycling and re-purposing! that is always good. cheap too.
*this doubles as a blanket for sitting and as a towel for drying off with! dual function is always good. It's also a lot cuter then the plain ol' towel I usually bring to the beach.
*towels hold up to lots of use and are easy to clean.

I hope this has inspired you!

Comments

[Kristy]

I have been picking up odd vintage towels since Hilary made that hippo.Do you remember? Anyway I have never got around to using them but might just have a go at this.It would make a great blanket for the garden when the girls are playing in their paddling pool.

[samantha]

What a fabulous beach idea!! Or, one to keep in the trunk because you just never know when you might need one...

[radmama]

Oooh. I have a giant bag of fading beach towels and no beach blanket. What a wonderful idea!

[Marianne]

brilliant idea....could also be used as the backing for a raggedy quilt!

[amy lou]

I love it...I am in the process of doing the exact same thing with all of my pals moth eaten cashmere sweaters...but I keep getting cold feet about putting it together. thanks amylou

[amandajean]

its very very nice! dual function (especially when it is this pretty) is always a plus.

[shannon]

I love this idea! So cute. I was just at the beach today and could have used this!!

[Mary Beth]

Love it! Love it! This is just what we need for our beach weekends!

[Ouiz]

I lurk here all the time, but I have to say that I think this is SUCH an inspirational idea!!! Thank you, as always, for sharing your creativity!

[Margo]

I absolutely adore this idea!! Yours is so cute, I love the simplicity of it and the recycling aspect. I must have a go at this!! Thank you!

[Rebecca]

This is a perfect beach blanket! I always look at vintage towels and never know what to do with them. Hmm . . . I think I'll give it a try!!

[Christy]

This is a great idea! I love the way your turned out. Now I'll have to add towels to my list of thrift items to hunt for.

Thanks for sharing. :)

[Maggie]

This certainly inspires me. I have also been collecting vintage towels (I just can't help myself!) and I had been wondering if I could rotate them out in the guest bathroom or what. But this idea is fantastic. Is it lined with anything different on the bottom?

[Toni]

Hi Maggie~

Nope, there is no backing on this. It's just the raw seems. You could add one of course, but for me I just wanted the bare minimum.

[Singular Stitches]

What a fabulously thrifty, recyclable, excellent idea!!! I love it!

[Mary Emma Allen]

What a fun project...so simple...and inexpensive. And because you've used old towels rather than expensive fabric, you don't have to worry about ruining the quilt or blanket. It's made for instant use.

[Racheal]

Brilliant idea, I am going to start collecting towels so I can do the same.
Racheal x

[Lilith]

So cute ! You really have great creative ideas. I so admire you for this. Did you line it ? And by the way, speaking of patchwork... did I miss some post ? What happened with your pink wedding quilt ?