Tutorial: Tucked Tea Towel

This post is a tutorial for another very easy tucked tea towel. The towel requires only straight stitching. Although it is simple and unadorned on the front, it does have a surprise on the back with a finished faced hem using a matching printed cotton fabric.

Materials: 7/8 yard of 100% cotton "bottom weight" or decorator fabric, (2) 1/8 yard of matching 100% cotton print fabric, basic sewing supplies, measuring mat and ruler, disappearing ink pen.

Cut the towel fabric into two pieces and square up ends and edges. Cut the printed facing fabric into 4 strips 2.5 inches by the width of towel.

Pin one strip to each end of the towel, right sides together. Sew 1/4-inch seams on each end.

Press all the seams open.

Fold the long sides in 1/4-inch and press. Fold over again to form a hem. Press and pin.

Stitch close to the edge to finish the sides.

With the towel facing up, use the measuring ruler and place the 2 1/4-inch marking line directly over the seam separating the print facing fabric from the towel fabric. Draw a mark across the width of the towel. If you don't own one of these wonderful rulers, just use a regular ruler and yardstick to measure and mark a line 2 1/4-inches up from the seam.

Turn the towel with the back side up. Fold the facing toward the back with the raw edge towards the middle of the towel. Press carefully. Fold again, completely enclosing the facing within the fold. This step will allow you to catch the raw edge of the facing, making a nice finish on the back. Press along the previously marked line, across the width of the towel. Pin and repeat this step for both ends of each towel.

Decide how large you want your tuck to be and make a mark on the throat plate of the sewing machine in order to guide your seam. I just used the 5/8-inch marking. Sew the tuck across the width of the towel. If you sew with the right side of the towel down, you may want to check your tension before you start sewing to make sure the bottom stitching will look good on the right side of the towel. Repeat for both ends of each towel.

Open up the towel and press well again. The raw edge of the facing will be enclosed in the tuck, making a nice finish on the back of the towel.

Finished!