Make your own vintage linen dish towels

Don’t you just love the graphics on vintage linen tablecloths? If you happen to find some at the thrift store that are a bit worse for wear you can easily turn them into vintage linen dish towels. You just need some simple sewing skills and some pompom or any kind of trim.

Supplies:

Vintage tablecloth
sewing supplies
scissors
pompom trim
Iron and spray starch
ruler
Fabric marking pencil or chalk

The first thing you want to do after washing and ironing your tablecloth is to check out your fabric. Look for any holes or marks that did not wash out. Make a note of the best way to get the pattern on your dish towel and use your fabric to get the most out of it. Mark your fabric so that you have rectangles that measure 20″ long by 16″ wide. This allows for a 1″ hem on both sides. I try to use the edges that are already hemmed so I have less sewing to do.

Using your ruler and mark some straight lines that you can use as your cutting guide. Cut your tablecloth into rectangles.

Here is the before photo of my dish towel. You can see that there is already a finished edge on the bottom but I will be hemming the other three sides for this towel. I am already loving it.

Turn your hem over 1/2″ and iron it down on all sides that need hemming. I pin it in a couple of places before ironing so that I can keep it even.

Turn the hem over another 1/2′ and iron that edge too. This is the finished hem that you are going to top-stitch. Use pins to keep your hem in place.

Use your sewing machine to top stitch your hem, removing the pins as you go.

Iron your hemmed edge for a finished and more professional look.

Now it is time for the trim. Pin your trim to the bottom of your dish towel turning the edges around each side.

Again using your sewing machine top stitch the trim onto the bottom of the dish towel. Trim off all stray threads

Enjoy your beautiful, unique and vintage dish towels!

I am so thrilled that this table cloth made six dish towels. (These remind me of my Grandma Rose.) This is a great way get more use out of vintage fabrics that by not be suitable for their original purpose.