Hooded Baby Towels

One of my standard baby shower gifts is a hooded towel. Not the little tiny ones that fit them for the first week of their life, but a big, soft, over-sized, cushy one to wrap your little ones up in and keep them warm. I always like to embellish mine just a little bit-- whether that be to coordinate with their room or bathroom colors. I even decorate the boys towels with "manly ribbon." I haven't gotten into decorating the towels as animals yet, but I might in the future. These are just so quick and easy, but I'm sure I'll try it out sometime soon.

Just a few finished hoodies, my favorite is the chocolate brown with baby pink ladybug hoodie.

All folded up nice and neat, ready to wrap up.

Laid out so you can see the front details.

Hanging up so you can see the back details.

Here is a boy's hoodie.

The inside of the "hoodie" part.

Detailing on the top of the hoodie part for a boy.

I have included two tutorials that I have generally based my hooded towel off of. Since I'm not a huge fan of doing tutorials, these will have to do. Let's face it, there's would be better than mine anyways, right?

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2007/11/29/hooded-towel-tutorial/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Hooded-Baby-Towel/?download=pdf

1 large bath towel

1 hand towel

Coordinating ribbon

Cut your hand towel in exactly half widthwise.

Discard or save the other half of the hand towel for a future hooded towel.

I always stitch a little bit of ribbon or ric-rac along the front ribbing of the towel for some added decoration and to up the cuteness factor. You can press it on with a little bit of stich-wichery if you’d like first to hold it in place before you stitch the ribbon on straight.

Fold the cut hand towel in half, right sides together. Now measure 3” or 4” over on the top half folded side on each side and mark with a pin. Draw a line with a pencil from the marked spot with the pin all the way down to the bottom corner, on each side. This will make a sort-of upside down right triangle. Now stitch along this line. Turn right side out and the hood is done.

Fold the bath towel in half, wrong sides together.

Measure over 4 inches from the fold and 4 inches down from the top and stitch. You should have just sewn a 4” straight line.

Open bath towel and lay flat. Flatten the tuck. I always baste this across the top to keep it in place for the next step.

Now lay your bath towel flat on the floor with the right side on top. Now take your hood, turn it upside down and lay it on the top edge of your bath towel, with top of hood facing up. Line up exact center of hood and exact center of towel and pin together. Stitch from one side edge of the hood to the other side edge of the hood, connecting it to the edge of the bath towel. Go back along the same line and zig-zag stitch across the length to secure the stitch.