an easy way for the boys to carry their towels and tons of extra space for snacks, water and toys!

http://webpages.charter.net/teddy_3/jenproject1.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/teddy_3/jenproject2.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/teddy_3/jenproject3.jpg

I love it!

What a clever idea! I smell some copycats (including me :D )

oh, those are great! is that a pattern, or did you just wing it? I love those.

edited to add. . . Wait, is that like a quillow? I keep staring, lol.

actually, I copycatted it from 2 towel bags dh got for me a few years ago...only they were $30 each:eek: I got these towels at Costco for $7.99 and the fabric and straps and thread...maybe an extra $4 or $5 (?) I made the pouches big enough to hold the towel and a whole lot more. yk, 3 boys walking, 1 baby and ALL that gear! I needed some help!

I guess it is kinda like a quillow only you don't have to fold it in a special way...just turn the bag inside out and wad the towel inside itself. ;)

Those are very cool--what a *great* idea!!

Those are really clever. Great job!

Those are so cool! What a great idea!

A friend of ours has one of those and they are totally cool!

Good job mama!

:thumbsup: Great Job Jen!

I've done some simmilar but with drawstring backpacks as opposed to bag. I think the bags might be more user friendly depending on the age range. The backpack ones were made pre-kiddos for pre-teens and early 20's single, kidless women.

Jennifer, those are *awesome*!!

I'm still staring at them, though, trying to figure out exactly what you did and how it was done. :lol Hummmmm..... those would be great for the pool this year for the girls.... hummmm.... gotta figure this out. LOL

How big were the pouches you made? You cut a single square of fabric, and sewed it to the front of the towel and then added the straps, right?

This is so cool!! :)

it was free and on-line...I'll have to see if I can find it...

I want to make these for my family. Does anyone know the demensions. What are the sttraps made out of? Anyone know?

I love that!! So, will you do a sew along?:D

I did it!!! I stared long and hard at the picture and figured it out. I made one, and it looks great!!! I'm so proud of myself. Actually, it was quit easy. I think I might start making them to sell at craft fairs near the beach. They are awesome.

Thanks for the idea!!!

Soooo, are you gonna tell us how you did it?:D

sure, I'll share. I don't know if I speak the lingo correctly so follow along as best you can...

1 towel

1/2yd print. fold in half and square the other 3 edges...yes, it's 2 layers...it just seemed more durable that way.

nylon straps, cut evenly, don't forget to burn edges so they don't unravel.

turn over fabric where the fold is...about an inch or so of a hem and pin with one nylon strap with edges about 10in apart on the outside measurement. or however far apart you want them. Double stitch(2 visable stitches that run along side each other) along the top and bottom (crossing over the nylon strapping.) This will make that nice finished edge/look to the outside of the bag...it's a cosmetic thing.

Then triple stitch(here i mean criss cross then go backwards over the same line etc) a criss cross on the nylon strap...

Center this peice on your towel and pin the other nylon strap to the towel, lining up the nylon straps so that they match up when being carried, kwim. Pin, then, Triple stitch the nylon strap onto the towel...i criss crossed and sewed straight across top and bottom for good measure;)

now lay the printed fabric peice and towel peice together with the straps together...iow, when you carry it, you want the straps on the outside...or at least i did. so whichever part you want to be on the outside of the bags, those are the sides you want together.

I folded over and double stitched all the way around the fabric peice. To hide the unfinished edges, you could double fold them.

turn bag inside out and stuff towel inside.

Part of me wants to keep it all to myself, but I'm not like that.

Okay, 1st, cut out 2 18"X 18" pieces of fabric. Sew them together, pretty to pretty, leaving an open spot so that you can turn it. Sew up your open hole after it is turned.

2nd- Sew one 32" webbing strap to the square, to make an arm strap. I then pinned the square to the towel to line up the strap to be sewn to the towel. Marked it. Unpin the square and sew on the strap to the towel.

3rd- Re-pin the square to the towel, with the straps facing in. Sew around the square, leaving out the top. It's like sewing on a pocket.

YOUR DONE!!!

You turn it inside out to make it work.

It's that easy. If this looks too hard, I will make one for you. Just PM me.

I just saw a kids sewing show on PBS the other week, showing how to make these! so if kids can do it, you can too!
cool

Lol, Laura's instructions look much simpler than mine...I think I thought too hard:p

I was thinking that yours were much more descriptive. Just take a little from each.:D

Forgot to mention!! I found nice cooshy towels at WalMart for around $3. I found a cute hot pink sparkley towel for my dd. I think I will make the square 16"x16" for that one.

i also wanted to mention, depending on the size of the towel/kid you can make the square larger or smaller. the towels i used are towel blankets, so they are HUGE and, i want the boys to be able to carry all of their own stuff. my finished squares are 20x20.

Those look great!! Way to go, Jennifer! :thumbsup:

I LOVE that!!!! Great work, I can't wait to try it out!! I have been serging my old towels into dishrags, but this looks fun too!!!

Thanks!!

Did everyone that made these pre wash the towels too?
I just bought some georgeous materials and towels dont wanna mess them up.

Peppermint

You do need to prewash the towels and fabric. Otherwise they will shrink and make your pocket funny. My towels looked just as good after I washed them.

YIPPIE all washed and in the dryer now.. the waiting it killling me ;-) hehehhehe
we are addicted..
Peppermint