It’s a sad day the day you pull your little toddler from the bathtub, slip on her favorite towel and realize the hood is clinging on for dear life half past her hairline and the corners no longer make it all the way around her belly! Outgrowing the infant towel hoodie is a bittersweet day indeed, but I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be this way. You can sew your own hooded bath towels for all the kids in your life! Read on for the full tutorial.
Materials: 1 regular sized bath towel, 1 coordinating hand towel, matching thread, sewing machine, scissors, ruler, sewing pins
We found our towels at Target in their affordable “Room Essentials” collection (bath towel: 30″ x 54″, hand towel: 16″ x 28″). Your towels don’t have to be this exact size, but I’ve included the measurements for reference.
1. We start by creating the hood. Fold your hand towel in half, matching up the short sides.
2. Measure 11.5″ down from the folded edge and cut off the bottom edges.
3. Open the hand towel and fold 1.5″ up on one long side. Use your coordinating thread to sew a straight stitch right below the finished edge along your fold.
4. Then go back and sew right on top of the finished edge. This will give the hood a professional-looking finish.
5. Fold the hand towel in half again, matching up the short sides. But this time, make sure the long finished edge you just sewed is inside. That will become the front of the hood.
6. Measuring from the hood front, mark 8″ along the top folded edge and 12″ along the bottom edge. Align a ruler on the two marks and cut diagonally. Save the piece you removed to make hand pockets later!
7. Pin your diagonal edges together. Use a zig-zag or overlock stitch to sew them together with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Then turn the hood right-side out.
8. Find the top inside center of your bath towel. Pin the bottom center of the hood to the top center of your bath towel, with the hood piece overlapping the bath towel by 1/2″.
9. With the hood piece still overlapping the bath towel by 1/2″, pin the remaining bottom edges of the hood along the top edge of the towel. You will have to fold the hood a bit in order to get the straight edges to align.
10. Use your zig-zag/overlock stitch to sew the hood on with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Below you see how the zig-zig/overlock stitch right along the edge makes a lovely flat seam.
11. On the back side of the hood, you’ll notice the top edge of the bath towel has made a flap. Use a straight stitch to sew this down along the hood.
Instructions for Optional Hand Pockets
12. Cut along the fold of the discarded triangle from the hand towel. Measure down 8″ from the top and cut off the bottoms.
13. You should now have two trapezoids like below. Run a zig-zag/overlock stitch along the diagonal edge to keep it from fraying.
14. On the inside of the towel, align the pocket just inside the top corner. Pin in place.
15. Sew a zig-zag/overlock stitch along three sides, leaving the diagonal side open. Repeat with the other trapezoid on the other top corner.
That’s a wrap! But seriously, it’s going to be the most coveted bath towel in the house.
Which is why I sewed two—one for each of my kids, of course. After you understand the steps, you can easily whip one of these together in thirty minutes or less.
This size hooded towel fits most kids ages 4 – 10. But bath towels aren’t the only ones longing for the hood treatment. My kids are now begging me to sew hoods onto their beach towels too! I can’t blame them though; it is the coziest way to dry off and get warm. Long live babies of all ages in hooded towels!
Comments
Jennifer
Your tutorial is so well explained and illustrated! A++ I’m looking forward to making a couple of these for my grandkids as Christmas gifts! Thank you for sharing.
Kathy
Hi. These are great and just what I need for my boys. I don’t sew, but do you sell these at all or do custom orders?
Thanks
Kathy
Melissa J Case
Think I’ll try these for my nieces and nephews this year. I wasn’t sure how big of a kid would fit this size? I have 2 that are 10-12 so I wasn’t sure if I should go more with a bath sheet size or regular towel size would work? Thanks!
Laura Holm
Hayley, thank you so much for this tutorial! I made 3 for my grand kids and then I went back and made 2 more for a friend’s 2 children. Your tutorial was easy to follow, quick and fun to make! Hugs, Laura
Karen
Oh, my goodness, Hayley! Thanks for this very clear tutorial. It’s August and I already know what to give my 6 grandbabies (ages 5 mo – 7 yr). 6 hooded bathtowels coming up!
*hugs* from a YaYa in Oregon
Beth
Hi Karen, So glad you enjoyed the tutorial!
Sharon
Thank you so much, great tutorial! I bought my grandson whom 😍 elephants, a bath towel, and wash cloth, and have been going back and forth whether I should do this, as the elephants will be side ways. I know the grandkids 😍 the hooded towels, so… regardless I’m going to try it. My youngest of 9 grandsons turns 3 next month, so thanks to you this Gagoo is going to do it.
Nancy Marshall
My grandson’s are still trying to use the hooded towels I gave them when they were very small. I can’t wait to make them “big Boy ” towels. Your instructions are so clear. Thank you.
Marcy Bosworth
Thank you so much for the great tutorial. I have one under my belt and plan to make a couple more for my grandkids. I added some ribbon for a little pop. Directions were so easy to follow!
Beth
So glad that you found it helpful! I’m sure your grandkids will love them.
Veronica Young
Do you have any video tutorials?
Tamar
Finally got around to making my little guy one of these after his big sister has been loving hers for almost a year. Such a quick make and they really love them! Thanks for the super clear instructions and helpful pictures!!
San
This is an awesome tutorial. I am a beginner at sewing and this was so easy to follow. My kiddo loves their giant towel! I plan to make many more!
Beth
So glad you liked it!
Cheryl A Erlandson
This is an excellent pattern. I didn’t like the rough edges on some of the other patterns. Also, because I don’t have a serger, I folded and then used a zig-zag stitch over the rough edges both on the inside of the hood and on the pockets. It gave the hooded towel a more finished look.
Thank for this!
Beth
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for letting us know.
Claudia Ewing
Wow…thank you. I am NOT a seamstress at all, but I need to make few of these hoods and give as a gift. Thank you very much, very well explained!
Kathi Eisenhart
I finally made a blue one for my 3 yr old grandson. I attached removable google eyes with velcro to make it “washer friendly”. Now he’s Cookle monster.
Becky
Someone gave me a home-made hooded towel when my daughter was born, and we have been using that towel for almost 3 years straight because those ones they sell in the store for babies are just way too thin! I got a sewing machine for Christmas, so I decided my first project would be to make a couple more! Her design is slightly different… I botched up a hybrid of the two, then followed your design for the second… It is definitely easier to execute than hers was! Thanks for easy to follow instructions and pictures!
Beth
Thank you for your comment, Becky! So glad this worked for you.
Mariette Forget
Thanks a lot for this great tutorial! These would be great gifts for my friend’s grandchildren! 🌸🌸
Roxann Shafto
The hooded towels were fun to make and very quick. Thank you for the easy to follow tutorial. Your recommendation for targets towels was a money saver. I’m sure my grandchildren will love them.
Jamie
Thank you so much! This is the easiest hooded towel ever! Made these over a year ago as my “babies” outgrew the baby towels and my kids love them. I am in the process of making more. The only thing I have changed is the rough edges on the hand pockets. After several washes the others I made began to unravel so this round I folded the edge over and then zigzag over the top. Hopefully this will help.
Grey House Harbor
Jamie – Excellent tip about zigzagging the pocket tops! So glad you’ve enjoyed making big kid hoodie towels with my tutorial. :)
Marion Fleming
Brilliant tutorial and photographs. The results are brilliant. I too changed the pockets by cutting one end strip off the hand towel to start with, then folding and measuring the 11 inches from the cut end leaving a nice bound piece to use for pockets. My explanation is not as clear as yours, sorry. The grandkids love them.
Thanks again x
Rosalyn
Thank you!! Your pattern was easy to follow, my grand daughter now has a well constructed hooded towel.
Beth
So glad to hear you enjoyed the tutorial! Hope your granddaughter loves it.
Ruby Harlon
@Melissa J Case,
I would use a bath sheet. Just made one.
Ruby