Considerations

• When choosing fabric for your dish towels, pick a soft, absorbent fabric that won't scratch glassware. Good choices are linen, thick cotton, jersey or lightweight terrycloth. You can also use flour sack or muslin, both of which will last a long time, although they're less practical for delicate glassware, where linen or flannel would be your best choices. You can buy new fabric, but don't forget to check the scrap bins and also consider recycling old clothing, sheets, and bath towels for your project. With fabrics prone to shrinking, such as 100 percent cotton and muslin, you may need to pre-wash the fabric and dry it in the dryer first before cutting.
  
  

Dish Cloth Projects from Scratch

• Cut your chosen fabric into a rectangle shape approximately 18 inches by 28 inches or whichever size you prefer. If you're handy with a needle and thread or a sewing machine, pin a small hem all the way around the edges, about 1/8 inch, mitering the corners. Iron the hem flat, and then sew the hem in place. If desired, you can finish on the bottom edge on the front side of the dish towel by sewing a layer of ribbon or rick-rack.
  
  You can create a hanging loop for the top of the dish towel by cutting a small rectangular piece of fabric and sewing seams along the edges, as if creating a miniature dish towel. Then sew one end of the loop down on the front side of your dish towel and the other end on the back side, allowing room at the top to create the loop.
  
  Decorate the front of your dish towel with fabric paint, iron-on appliqués, crocheted borders or embroidery. If you don't have access to sewing gear, consider using iron-on hemming tape, although this will work best with a thin fabric like linen as opposed to a thicker fabric such as terrycloth.
  
  

Decorating Plain Dish Towels

• A quick way to personalize dish towels without making them from scratch is to purchase inexpensive plain white towels from the store and decorate them. Ribbon is one good way to accent a towel, either with one wide piece or several narrow pieces side by side. You can also sew on some buttons, lace or fabric cut-out shapes such as gingerbread men, hearts or flowers. If you're handy with embroidery, add a monogram. Easier still is to simply use iron-on transfers you can purchase from a crafts or fabric store.
  
  Whatever design or decoration you choose, keep in mind that some people like to hang their towels in thirds and plan your design accordingly. Once you finish your project, wash and iron the towels. Note that while ironing any embroidery or appliqués, you should lay a soft fabric underneath and place the embroidered part face down to keep the design from being flattened. If you decide to give several towels as a gift, tie the set together with matching string or ribbons.