DIY Potholder Hanging Kitchen Towel Tutorial

HOW TO MAKE HANGING dish TOWEL WITH POTHOLDER

Every kitchen needs a hanging kitchen towel.  A hanging towel in the kitchen means there always is a towel handy when you need one.  In my kitchen, I seem to be always washing something so the hanging potholder dish towel is near the sink and used numerous times a day to dry my hands.  

Learn how simple it is to make a hanging dish towel with a potholder by watching our video tutorial first and then follow the photo tutorial with step-by-step instructions below.  These free instructions are so easy even a beginner sewist can make one.  

Best of all, this project is budget-friendly.  All the supplies needed can be purchased at the dollar store or a local big box store.  I have a Dollar Tree near me and purchased the dish towel for $1.25 and potholders were sold 2 for $1.25.  My button box had the button, so one potholder dish towel only cost me $1.88 to make.

Needlepointers.com has many other free kitchen sewing project ideas for you, so click over to find them.

how to sew potholder towel

HANGING TOWEL INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: GATHERING THE TOWEL

The towel will need to be gathered so it is the same width as the potholder. To do this, fold the towel in half lengthwise and press with iron along the fold. This crease will be the gathering line.

Or, lay the towel out flat with the wrong side facing up on a table and use a ruler to find the center of the towel.  Then with a marking pencil draw a line to mark the centerline.

Sewing Machine Gathering Method

If you are using a sewing machine, set the sewing machine to a basting stitch. A basting stitch is simply a straight stitch set at the longest possible length.  Pull the top thread and bobbin thread behind the presser foot so you have a long tail about 5 to 6 inches.  Then, stitch across the towel using the crease or drawn line as a guide.

Gather the towel until it is the same size as the potholder.  To gather, hold the top thread with one hand and pull the fabric away from the thread. Do this on both sides.  When you get close to the desired length, on one side pull the bobbin thread up from the bottom and tie a knot with the bobbin and top thread. 

Continue gathering until the towel fabric reaches the desired width.  Again, pull the bobbin thread up from the bottom and tie it to the top thread.  Adjust the gathers so they are spaced evenly across the whole towel.

Another method to gather the towel is to use the zig-zag gather method.

Hand Gathering Method

Double thread a needle.  What is a double-threaded needle?  It is when the thread is put through the eye of the needle, the thread folded in half, the ends are held together and tied in a knot. There is a two strands of thread on the needle.

The length of the double thread should be longer than the gathering width.  You can estimate the length you need by making the double thread longer than the potholder but remember to allow extra for making a knot.

To hand gather you will be stitching a basting stitch which is just a running stitch with the stitches about 1/4" to 1/2" away from each other.  As you stitch pull the thread to gather the towel until it is the width of the potholder.  Knot the end.

STEP 2: find center of POTHOLDER

The potholder loop will determine how the towel will be attached to the potholder. Make sure the loop is at the top. If there is no loop, you can make a loop with scrap fabric or ribbon.

Now, it is time to find the center of the potholder.  On the wrong side of the potholder, use a ruler to find the center and mark a line along the center using a quilter marking pencil or your favorite marking tool.  

Note: Some potholders have no right or wrong side.  Decide which side you will want to show when the towel is hanging.  Mark a line on the other side of the potholder.  If the potholder has a wrong side, then mark on that side.

In the example potholder above, I have decided to use the solid side as the side which will show when the towel is finished.  So, I marked it on the printed side. 

STEP 3: SEWING POTHOLDER TO TOWEL

Place the towel right side up on a flat surface. Put the center marked line of the potholder over the towel gathers.  Pin the potholder and towel together.

Set the sewing machine to a standard stitch length and sew along the line marked on the potholder, backstitching at the beginning and end.

If you don't have a sewing machine, you can hand sew the two pieces together using a hand sewing stitch - either the running stitch or the backstitch.

The potholder is now attached to the top of the towel.  Fold the potholder up and the towel downwards.  The project is almost finished!

STEP 4: mark and sew BUTTON

To be able to attach the potholder towel to a rod or handle, a button is needed at the center top of the potholder.  Choose a button that will fit through the potholder loop but is large enough to hold it in place and will not come undone.  

Begin by folding the potholder in half with the loop at the top as shown below.  The placement of the button will depend on the length of the loop.  Fold the loop down to see where to place the button. Mark this spot with a pin or marking pencil.

Hand sew the button to the front of the potholder at the marked location. The button could also be sewn on with a sewing machine.  We have video tutorials on two methods to sew on a button with a sewing machine - the zig-zag method and the button stitch method. 

That's it!  Your new hanging kitchen dish towel is complete.  Just button it up over the stove handle, near the sink, or in any other convenient location. 

Don't forget the powder room.  This towel method can be used in the powder room to keep towels from slipping off the towel rod.

Need a quick and easy gift?  Simply sew this potholder kitchen towel and add a set of utensils for the perfect hostess, teacher, housewarming, or Christmas gift.

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you are interested in more fun DIY kitchen project check out our Pinterest Board.

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