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Dish Rug Tutorial

Published: Jul 28, 2011 · Modified: Jan 16, 2020

Dish Rug Tutorial

Let’s make a dish rug! I just love using one of these instead of a dish towel next to my sink. Mine are about 18 x 20 inches. Measure the counter space that you want it to fit if you need a smaller or bigger one. This is a great way to use up fabric in your stash that you don’t care for anymore. Your dishes won’t care what they are sitting on. Okay, let’s get started.

1. Cut a piece of fabric 18 x 20 inches – good use of a fat quarter. Next get a dish towel or what I used was an old towel that I had and cut it to 18 x 20.

2. Choose 2 coordinating fabrics.
Cut 1 strip the WOF (width of the fabric) by 2 inches from one
Cut 2 – 1 1/2 inch strips the WOF from the other.

3. Stitch together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance and press.

4. Take your fabric and cut 4 1/2 inches off of one side – keep it handy.

5. Take your coordinating fabric strip and stitch it to the side as shown.

6. Stitch the other side. Cut the strip off so we have it for the next step,

7 Turn your fabric – like this.

8. Cut 6 inches off of one side – don’t loose it.

9. Take your coordinating strip and sew it to one side. (I bet you already figured that out). Before you sew the other side turn the coordinating strip. This makes it simple as you don’t have to match the strips.

10. Now trim it to 18 x 20.

11. Scraps can be used for another project like a mug rug.

12. Once it is all pressed get your towel. Your fabric will be bigger. Lay the right side up and place the towel on top and trim it even with your fabric. You have plenty of room to move it around.

13. Pin all around your fabric and sew with a 1/2 inch seam. I was able to use a 80 needle on my 15-91 Singer but if your towel is real thick you might need a jeans needle which is a 130. Sew all the way around – don’t leave a opening.

14. Trim the corners. You are probably thinking I goofed……how can I turn it right side out….what we are going to do is use our seam ripper and open up a section in one of the strips.

15. I open the seam up about 3 1/2 to 4 inches.

16. Close view for you.

17.See the opening, now carefully turn your dish rug right side out. Try not to stretch your opening.

18. Press and pin closed the opening. Now top-stitch and catch the opening in your stitching.

19. Do some straight stitching, on this one I just stitched straight lines about 1 and 1/2 inches apart. I just back-stitched at the beginning and ends.

Finished! Now is it a dish rug or a beer rug????? Builder Bob couldn’t resist putting empty beer cans on it. I hope you liked this. I think I will have to make a trip to Goodwill and look for towels as I’m going through our old ones. A good washing and bleach and they would be perfect for dish rugs.

My fabrics weren’t washed before I sewed them and I have already washed and dried my dish rugs. They feel so much softer and didn’t shrink very much at all.

I would love to see any dish rugs that you make! Please let me know and I will post them on my blog. I have another one that is done differently and will post it soon.

Now it is time to get ready as Builder Bob is taking me out for Lobster!