Updated July 2025
By Anita Gastaldo
This relatively easy-to-sew duo — a hooded baby towel and wash mitt — would make a lovely handmade gift for a new baby or expecting mother. Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Plus, making both gives you a perfect chance to practice your bias tape-binding skills. All you need to do is keep reading for our step-by-step guide to make this adorable project yourself.
Once your masterpiece is complete, place the set in a sweet basket along with some baby soap and feel certain knowing you’ve created a cherished keepsake for your recipient. (But who says the gift recipient can’t be you?!)
Whether you’re making for your little one or a gift for a loved one’s little one, this project is sure to make you smile.
The Materials You’ll Need
Before you pick out and prep all the materials you’ll need, consider the final product you’re going for. Let your imagination take the driver's seat as you determine the theme, texture, and color combination you’ll be using for this project. If you’re stuck, lean on our recommendations and the fun and fresh inventory at Sew to Speak.
Fabrics
For this project, you’ll need the following fabrics:
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1 and 1/4 yards of terry velour (at least 44 inches wide). This will allow for shrinkage.
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One fat quarter, cotton print, or a large enough scrap to cut an 11x11x16" triangle, basically one of the corners of your towel.
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140" of bias tape or 1/2 yard of fabric to make your binding (since the towel has no curved edges, I did NOT cut my tape strips on the bias, this saves both fabric and energy).
We recommend choosing from our selection of terry velour fabric that is so soft and cuddly as well as fun, fat quarter cotton prints like the Forestburgh collection from Windham fabrics. Bonus points for also incorporating a flannel like this Cottage Grove pattern by AGF. (Warning, the comfort and cuteness akin to these fabrics have been known to spike the onset of baby fever.)
I chose to use a fun hedgehog cotton print and a red gingham flannel for the binding.
Notions
Make sure you have the following notions:
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Scrap paper and a pen for drafting your Wash Mitt template
Tools & Machinery
Lastly, prep these handy-dandy tools to get started:
Making the Towel
Here’s how your towel should look after the following steps!
Once you’ve selected your fabrics, wash them in warm water and dry them in the dryer to make sure that they’ll be pre-shrunk. Then, you’re ready to get started!
Cutting Your Fabric
1. Cut a 34" x 34" square from your terry velour. Due to the salvage edge, you may not end up with an exact square. As long as it’s close, it won't be noticeable.
2. From your printed cotton, cut an 11" x 11" x 16" triangle. Pay attention to the direction of the print. I’ve made my 16" cut across the fabric’s grain and two 11" cuts on the bias so that when the hood is up, the hedgies aren’t slanting sideways.
Example of step #2: cutting your printed cotton into an 11" x 11" x 16" triangle.
3. Cut another 11" x 11" x 16" triangle from the terry
After step 3, you’ll have two triangles, one from the terry velour and the other from the cotton fabric, both sized 11" x 11" x 16".
Pinning & Stitching
4. Next, with the velour side up, place your printed triangle face down on top. This way you will end up with a hood lined in extra soft velour, to be nice and gentle on the new baby's skin. Pin the bottom edge and stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance. Turn right side out and press.
Example of step #4: Pinning & stitching your triangles.
5. Trim off any little triangle tips that stick out or any other discrepancies between the two triangles. Then, a 1/4" from the edge, topstitch along the bottom of the hood.
6. Next, align the hood with one of the towel’s right angles and pin.
Example of step 6, aligning the hood with the towel’s right angle.
7. Baste in Place
Baste in place like so and trim any discrepancies.
Binding & Bias Tapes
8. Prepare binding either by cutting along the bias or selvage to selvage. You will cut your strips 2" wide. (To see more details on attaching bias, see our blog post, "How to Attach Bias Tape.")
Example of binding cut along the bias for strips 2" wide.
Example of bias tape attached with mitered corners.
Example of step #10, trimming out the bulk seam allowance around the hood.
Making the Wash Mitt
Here’s how your wash mitt should look after the following steps!
Prepping Your Template
Note the mitt I drew here was only an inch larger than my hand, and it fits very tightly. 2" extra fits much better!
Trimming & Stitching
Example of wash mitt step #2.
Example of wash mitt step #3.
Example of wash mitt step #4.
Attaching Extra Binding
First, fold the short raw end of the tape back and then pin around the perimeter, and sew.
Stitch the short ends together to finish the loop.
This is what the loop should look like before we attach it to the mitt.
Pin loop close to one of the side seams (but not all the way at the side seam to avoid too much bulk).
Happy Sewing!
We hope you enjoyed this fun and sweet project! As always, come show off your finished product in store or tag us on Instagram — we LOVE to see your masterpieces. And, if you’re ever stuck on a project, our Stitch Squad is here to help in any way we can!
About the Author
Anita Gastaldo is the original owner of Sew to Speak and, since selling the business in 2023, has been a teacher at the shop. She brings boundless passion for sewing and decades of expertise to every class.