Spa Towel Wrap Tutorial

My mother-in-law requested a spa towel wrap for Christmas. I was unable to find one, (why do I wait until the 23rd of December to do my Christmas shopping?) so I dug out my sewing disaster room and let my dormant creativity surface.

This is the result:

Here’s a quick, very rough tutorial.

I folded the towel as shown in my very lame quick sketch.

First I attached a 4 inch length of 3/4″ wide velcro hooks onto the left hand side of the towel, about 1/4 inch down from the edge. Then I attached a 10 inch length of 3/4″ wide loops (the soft fuzzy part) on the right hand side about 1.25 inches down from the edge.

Next I folded down the top edge of the towel about 1 1/4 inches to make a casing. Fold the towel so that the side without velcro is inside the casing. The shorter piece of Velcro (the hooks) should be on the outer side of the casing facing one side of the towel. The longer piece of Velcro (the soft loops) should be on the outside of the casing on the other side of the towel. (So when you wrap the towel around yourself, the hooks will overlap the loops.) Sew about 1 1/8 inch from the fold. You have now completed the casing and velcro closure.

Now, if possible, measure the chest of the intended wearer, under the arms and above the bust. (Since this was a gift, I had to estimate this measurement.) Cut a length of 1″ wide elastic that is about 8 inches less than the chest measurement you just took. So if my chest measurement under the arms and above the bust is 32″, I would cut the elastic 24″ long.

Thread the elastic through the casing by attaching a safety pin to one end or using a special threader designed for that purpose called a bodkin, and working the elastic through the casing. (Make sure not to pull the other end of the elastic inside the casing and lose it! Sometimes I pin the other end to the outside of the casing so this doesn’t happen.) Unfortunately I did not get a picture of this and apologize, but here is a quick elastic casing tutorial.

Now secure the end of the elastic to the end of the casing by sewing through the casing perpendicularly, catching the elastic. Repeat on the other end of the casing.

This is the closure:

And this is the back:

For decoration, I ironed on and then hand sewed an appliqué flower near the top closure. I also embroidered a monogram on the lower edge of the towel, since it was to be used at a local gym.

If you have any questions, please let me know. If you try this sewing tutorial, I would love to see your finished product. If you have suggestions for how to make it better, please let me know that as well.

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