Beginner Sewing Project: Dish Towel Skirt

Are you just now learning to sew? Then you can make the most adorable dish towel skirt for yourself, or someone else, by using a few simple stitches. The cost of fabric has gone way up but, when you use dish towels for this skirt, you can often get two for a buck at certain dollar-theme stores. You'll find that dish towels are available in a huge array of colors and patterns - some are just as cute as can be.

Just about any type of dish towel will work to make the skirt. If you choose towels that are already hemmed it can make the sewing job even quicker. If you choose towels featuring the fringe on the ends, you'll have a fringed edge around the bottom, and you won't have to hem it.

Measure around your hips to decide on how many dish towels you'll need. Take the width of one towel and then determine how many towel widths you'll need to equal the hip measurement. The towels won't likely come out to the exact width of your hips but purchase enough towels to equal at least that number.

If the towels you're using have fringed ends, cut the fringe off of the tops of all the towels. Stack two towels together so that their right sides are facing each other. With the short sides facing you, sew straight down the right side. Open the towels up and lay a third towel on the second one, with right sides together. Sew straight down the right side. Continue to do this until you've seamed all the towels together. Place the long side of the first towel, and the long side of the last towel together, and seam them to create a cylinder shape.

If you've cut fringe off the towels, fold the cut edge over a half-inch, then again, and hem all the way around the top. Wrap a piece of quarter-inch elastic around your waist - slightly stretching it - to determine what length to cut it. Position the end of the elastic against one of the seams in the back or side of the skirt. Sew the elastic to the waistline, slightly stretching it, and sewing straight down the center of the elastic.

There are many variations you can do with the towel skirt. For a really little girl, cut the towels in half, and use only the bottom halves. For a taller girl, make the original skirt, as stated above, then sew on additional towels to create a ruffle around the bottom. The dish towel skirt is an easy project for beginners but even a seasoned seamstress will enjoy making one.