DIY Easy Hanging Kitchen Towel with Band Tutorial

Today, I have another free hanging kitchen towel pattern for you!  This new modern hanging towel design is an easy sewing project with no buttons, snaps, or Velcro. 

I love making hanging towels for my kitchen and bath and giving them as gifts. I have shared several hanging towel designs, but this one is my favorite.

This simple sewing project transforms a store-purchased kitchen towel into a hanging kitchen towel. The free pattern can also be used for bathroom hand towels.  

This towel sewing pattern is easy to follow. You need only two pieces of fabric to cut and straight seams. No printable pattern pieces are needed since you only need to cut rectangles. Two finished towels can be sewn in about one hour.

If you hang your dish towels on a towel bar or stove handle, they often fall to the floor, especially if you have young kids. These hanging dish towels will not fall because a towel topper is wrapped around the bar.

It's Perfect for Gift Giving!

These would make quick and easy hostess, housewarming, bridal shower, Mother's Day, or holiday gifts. The hanging kitchen towels can be made for any theme: Christmas, Halloween, patriotic, winter, summer, spring, or Easter.

Start your holiday gift-making early! These kitchen towels make fantastic presents. They're practical for every household, making them ideal for gifting to family, friends, and teachers next Christmas!

Customize the towels by choosing fabrics that suit the recipient's personality or match their kitchen's theme.

Once you make one, you'll find it addictive!  

To learn how to make these hanging kitchen towels, click the link below to watch our full step-by-step tutorial on YouTube. For a written tutorial, keep reading this page.

If you'd prefer an ad-free PDF version of this hanging kitchen towel tutorial, you can download it for a small fee from our Etsy Shop through the link below.

Free Printable Hanging Towel Instructions

If you gift these hanging towels, include one of our free printable instruction tags with your gift. This decorative tag explains how to hang the towel on a towel bar.

To download the free printable tags, scroll to the end of this tutorial and look for the download link for the printable PDF. Look for the section "Gifting the Hanging Towels?" 

About this Hanging Towel Pattern

My friend Pam showed me one of these towels she purchased while on a trip. I also started seeing these towels for sale on Etsy and liked their simple, modern design. These can be hung on a towel bar, oven handle, or other handle.

I decided to investigate how to make these towels and found several tutorials that all included rolling the towel like a burrito. After trying to make the towels using this method, I decided to make them my way. 

The rolled method was harder because the sides were closed using topstitching; if you aren’t careful, you can miss stitching it closed completely. Also, these towels had no batting inside to give them more body and hold their shape. Finally, the towel topper's size seemed a bit small for my stove handle, so I changed the length.

So, I will share my method for making this hanging towel. I hope you find it easier to master!

This pattern does not require any printable pattern pieces. Just cut two rectangles of fabric and one batting, and you'll be ready to start!

Where do I purchase towels?

Kohl’s sells cute seasonal multipack towels and washcloths. Their towels are often on sale, and if I have an additional discount coupon, I can pick them up very inexpensively. Many other places, such as Walmart, Target and Amazon, sell multipack towel sets.

Each towel you purchase makes TWO hanging kitchen towels. So, a four-pack of towels makes eight finished hanging towels.

What fabrics are needed for the hanging Dish towel pattern?

Once you have the towels, go to the fabric store and find matching fabrics. Cotton fabrics are recommended for these towel toppers.

I usually shop at Joann (who are no longer in existence) because they have many novelty fabrics that can be fun coordinating with the towel theme. However, you can also find nice fabric at quilt shops for this project. 

Look at the end of this article for links to purchase towels and fabrics.One or two fabrics are used to make this modern kitchen towel pattern. One for the topper and another for the band. In the photo above, the middle and right side towels use the same fabric for the topper and band.  The towel on the left uses two coordinating fabrics for the topper and band.

Can I include decorative stitching with this Hanging Kitchen Towel pattern?

Decorative stitches can be added to the towels as an extra embellishment.  This is a perfect project to use those extra fancy stitches on your sewing machine!

If your machine doesn't have decorative stitches, a simple straight stitch can be stitched across the towels.  

Let’s get started on this quick and easy sewing project.

WHAT YOU NEED to make the modern hanging dish towels

• Kitchen Dish Towel or Hand Towel (Purchase from Amazon or Michaels)
• One or two coordinating fabrics for the topper and band.
• Pellon Fleece 988 or Quilt Batting Scraps (Amazon or Michaels)
• Marking Chalk or Marking Pencil (Amazon or Michaels)
• Sewing Machine and other common sewing supplies
• Iron & Ironing Board
• Rotary Cutter, Mat & Rulers (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS to make this modern Hanging towel

Seam Allowance: ½” unless otherwise specified
Difficulty: Confident Beginner
Time: Approximately 1 hour to make two hanging towels

STEP 1: Cut Fabrics

This towel topper pattern includes two pieces of fabric: one for the topper and the other for the band. To make the topper, use one or two fabrics that coordinate with your towel.

Since the towel is cut in half and then sewn into the topper, I recommend cutting two of each piece and making two toppers at once.

Directional Fabric Notes: If you have a directional fabric, remember that the short side (7" side) of the topper fabric is attached to the top of the towel.  

For the band fabric, the 7 1/2" side is the top or bottom of the band.  

For both the topper and the band, cut your fabrics so the motifs will be right side up when sewn to the towel.

Band Feature Fabric Notes: If the band fabric has a feature you want to show on the band, the portion that will show is between 2" - 4" from the 7 1/2" side of the fabric. 

The band fabric will be folded into fourths and will end up 7 1/2" wide by 2" high.   

So, place your featured area in the section between 2" – 4” from the bottom or top of the band.

STEP 2: Iron The Band

Fold the band fabric in half to be 7 ½” wide x 4” and iron a crease.

Open it back up and fold each side towards the crease and iron.

Finally, fold the whole thing in half and iron it flat.

The band will be 7 1/2" x 2".Set the band aside.

STEP 3: Iron the Topper

Place the topper fabric with the right side facing down and the 7" side closest to you.

Fold and iron it in half so the topper is 7” wide x 9 1/2" high.

Directional Fabric Note: If your fabric is directional, place the topper with the directional fabric oriented correctly (with the motifs not upside down) and the 7" side closest to you.  Turn it over so the right side of the fabric is facing down. Then fold the topper in half and iron as directed in this step.

STEP 4: Add the Batting

The batting will be added to the front of the topper only.  Open the topper and place the batting onto the half of the topper closest to you.  This section of the topper is the front of the towel topper.

Align the top edge of the batting with the fold line. The batting will be ½” smaller than the length of the topper.

Pin the batting to the front of the topper in the four corners.

Turn the topper around to work on the back side of the topper. This is the side without the batting. 

Use a ruler, fold the short edge by 1/2" towards the wrong side, and iron a crease.

This graphic may help visualize the topper, especially if you have directional fabric.

STEP 5: Mark Stitching Lines on Topper (Optional)

Stitching straight or decorative lines across the topper is optional. The lines are stitched on the section of the topper with the batting.

If you do not stitch the lines, keep the topper and fabric pinned together until the sides are sewn in a future step.

Use a straight or decorative stitch on your sewing machine to stitch the lines. The photos throughout this tutorial will show different options for stitching the lines.

To copy the lines in the stitched samples, use a marking chalk or pencil to mark lines 3”, 4”, 6”, and 7” below the fold.

To mark the lines, fold the topper in half and turn it so the right side of the topper is facing up. The right side is the side with the pinned batting.

Use a ruler to measure 2" from the top fold and use a marking chalk or marking pencil to draw a line.

Move the ruler to 3" from the top and mark another line.  Mark the last two lines at 6" and 7" from the fold.

STEP 6: Stitching Lines on Topper and Band

Open the topper again.  Stitch the lines through one layer of fabric and the batting.  A straight or other decorative stitch looks nice on these towels. Above are some sample towels using different stitches on my sewing machine. 

To stitch the lines, set your machine to the desired stitch and sew following each of the four marked lines.

Next, finish the band.  Since the band is folded, at minimum, stitch a straight stitch and edgestitch 1/8" - 1/4" from each long side. This will hold the band together.

Decorative stitching could be stitched along each long edge of the band.  Or, edgestitch along the sides and stitch a decorative stitch through the center of the band. See some of the sample photos for ideas.

The towel below has a straight stitch for the lines and the band's edges.

STEP 7: Stitch Band to Topper

The band will be added to the back of the topper along the top folded edge. With the topper fabric facing up, place the band next to the fold line on the back or the side without the batting.

Pin the band in place and stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Use a 1/4" seam allowance here so the stitching will not show when the topper is finished.

The band is ½” wider than the topper. Line up the band's other side with the edge of the topper, leaving the extra band in between.

Stitch the other side of the band in place with a 1/4" seam allowance.

STEP 8: Stitch the Sides of the Topper

To finish sewing the topper, fold the topper with the right sides together along the fold line. Pin the edges. The folded edge on the back of the topper will be ½” from the raw edge of the front side.

Sew both sides of the topper with a ½” seam allowance.

STEP 9: Turn Topper right side out and press

Turn the topper right side out.

The band makes it easy to pull the corners out completely. 

Press the whole topper flat.

The finished topper has stitched lines on the front.

The back side of the topper. In my photo, the band is flipped to the front side.

STEP 10: Cut the towel in Half

To prepare the towel for sewing into the topper, cut it in half and set one half aside to make another towel.

How to use a Directional Kitchen Towel

Some kitchen towels in the towel sets have a pattern printed in one direction.  The towel in the photo below has the Merry Christmas printed across the kitchen towel.

If the top half of the towel is inserted into the topper, like usual, the design will hang upside down. This will not work well!

These towels can still be used as a towel topper.  They need to be turned around!

After cutting the towel in half, use a seam ripper to pick out the hem of the towel that would be upside down and iron it flat.

Turn the towel so it’s the wrong side up, and create a new hem on the cut end of the towel by folding it up ½” twice and ironing. 

Stitch a new hem across the bottom of the towel with a matching thread, and now you have a 2^nd towel to insert into a topper.

Stitch the hem close to the folded edge.

STEP 11: Gather or pleat the Kitchen towel

The cut towel is too wide to fit into the topper as is. Therefore, it can be gathered, pleated, or folded before inserting into the topper.

For the modern look, I prefer to pleat the towel.  Scroll down for pleating instructions.

Gathering the Kitchen Towel

To gather the kitchen towel, use the zig-zag gathering method.  Zig-Zag less than ½” from the raw edge. ¼” - 3/8” works well.  This ensures the zig-zag stitches are inside the seam allowance, so you won’t need to remove the gathering stitches later.  Use a matching thread to the towel in case the stitches do show.

To zig zag gather, pull the bobbin thread to the top. Then, pull the bobbin and top thread so it's longer than the width of the towel. Zig-zag back and forth across the pulled-out threads without hitting the threads.  

Gently pull the gathering stitches until the towel is 6" wide.  See the link above for more information on this gathering method.

Pleating the Kitchen Towel

These basic instructions are how I pleat the towels.  You can pleat the towel with the pleats to the front or the back of the towel.  The design on your towel may help determine how to pleat it so the design will show.

For example, if your towel has a large print across the front, you may need to adjust the pleats to show the design.

Lay the towel on a flat surface. Fold the towel in half and mark the center point with a pin.

Fold each side of the towel towards the center, one side at a time. Place a pin at the center of each fold. There will be three pins marking the pleat lines.

Next, make the pleats. Place the towel with the front facing down for a flat front look. To have the pleats in the front, the back would face down.

Pinch the fabric at the first pin and bring it to the center pin, making the pleat. Pin the pleat in place.

Repeat on the other side, pinching the fabric at the pin and bringing it to the center.  Pin the pleat to hold it in place.

The width of the towel needs to be 6" wide to fit into the topper. Turn the edges of the towel towards the center. My towels needed to be folded in about one inch to make the towel 6" wide.

Since towels are of different widths, adjust the folds more or less so that it will be 6" wide.

To hold the pleats in place, baste across the top of the towel with a ¼” seam allowance. As before, this will ensure the basting stitch is inside the topper and won’t need to be removed later.

STEP 12: Add the topper to the towel.

Place the towel and topper with the right sides together, matching the raw edges of the topper to the top of the towel. The side of the topper with the batting and decorative stitching should face the front of the towel.

Sew with a ½” seam allowance. This will be just next to the edge of the batting.  Don’t catch the back of the topper in the stitching.

STEP 13: Flip the towel Inside the towel topper

Open the seam, flipping the top raw edge of the towel inside the topper, and iron it.

Place the back of the towel topper over the towel and just past the sewn line.

Pin in place along the open edge.

STEP 14: Topstitch the bottom edge of the topper

With the towel right-side up, topstitch along the bottom edge of the topper fabric. This will close the back of the topper.

Below is the finished topstitched topper front.

The photo below shows the back side of the topper.  The back edge is caught in the stitching.

Here is another towel topper.

The two samples below show different stitching on the topper and along the band.

Below are a few more sample photos of these Modern Hanging Towels with a Band. They have different stitching and fabric combinations to inspire you.

The center towel below is a linen towel. This towel was folded in thirds with the edges at the back.

Gifting the Hanging Towels?

Remember to include our Free Printable Hanging Towel Tags with your hanging towel gift. These instructions will help your gift recipient hang the towel on a towel bar.

We hope you enjoyed learning how to make these Modern Hanging Towels. Make some for yourself, friends, and for gifts.  Scroll down for some links to supplies for this project.

Other Kitchen Sewing Projects you may be interested in are:

• Free Hanging Kitchen Towel Topper Pattern
• Folded Star Potholder Pattern
• Easy Hanging Washcloth Kitchen Towel
• Casserole Hot Pad
• Large Casserole Hot Pad