In our house, there are certain things that no family throws out no matter how old and worn they get because we are obsessive upcyclers and those things are useful for all kinds of crafty projects! One of the biggest things that falls into this category is old towels. There is always some way to reuse old towels even after you’ve replaced them for showering! Because we love turning them into other things so much, we always have our eyes peeled for tutorials that will give us new ideas and instructions for things we haven’t tried before.
Just in case you love the idea of using your DIY skills to transform your old towels into all kinds of other crafty things just as much as we do, if not more, here are 15 of the very best tutorials that we’ve come across so far in our search for inspiration!
1. Cement towel garden planter
If we’re being honest, this project from DIY Projects was certainly not the kind of thing we expected to come across when we started looking up repurposed towel ideas! That is, however, part of the charm that drew us to the tutorial. Take a better look at their instructions to see how they used homemade cement to turn an old towel into a uniquely shaped flower planter.
2. Shrug style beach cover up
Are you actually the kind of person who loves putting your experienced sewing skills to good use any time you decide to get crafty? In that case, we think perhaps you’ll get along a little better with something like this tutorial from Instructables that walks you step by step through the process of making an adorable little shrug-style beach cover up in that terry cloth fabric we all love so much.
3. DIY towel pants
Have we actually really caught your attention now that we’ve started talking about the concept of turning towels into pieces of clothing but you’re just not sure that a shrug is something you’d really wear? Well, in that case, perhaps you’d prefer to make something a little cozier and with more coverage, like these amazing towel pants outlined step by step on Domestic Deadline!
4. Tanning station tote bag from a towel
If you’re going to put in the time and effort it takes to completely upcycle your towels into something homemade, would you rather create something really unique that you’ve never seen in stores before? Then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at the way Very Dark Horse turned their towel into a fully equipped tanning station bag complete with pockets to put things in, handles to carry it by when it’s all rolled up, and a built-in pillow to lean against while you enjoy the sun.
5. DIY lounge chair cover up
Perhaps you’re very interested indeed by the idea of using your old towels to make yourself some kind of elevated tanning and sunshine experience but you’re definitely more of a lounge chair kind of person who probably won’t be found laying out on the sand or poolside like the previous idea we showed you? In that case, you’ll get along way better making something like this lounge chair cover from Virginia Sweet Pea! We love the pocket in the side for snacks and books.
6. Upcycled towel tote bag
Perhaps we’ve got you genuinely interested in the concept of making something that will help make things easier for you on the beach, but you’re thinking more along the lines of organization and getting things there, rather than comfort in laying down? Then perhaps this fantastic terry cloth tote bag made from pieces of old towels would be a little more up your alley! See how it’s done in more detail on Makezine.
7. V-neck pullover beach cover up
Are you actually still scrolling through our list and thinking about how much you love the idea of making a lovely, soft beach pullover from your old towels but you simply don’t think you’ll wear the shrug style that we showed you earlier on our list? In that case, we’d encourage you to take a look at this differently styled alternative cover up from Brit + Co. instead! We love the casual fit and V-neck cut.
8. Patched together towel beach blanket
Do you love the feeling of lounging on a towel on the beach more than just about anything but you can’t help always wishing your towel were a little bigger so that you could really sprawl out in comfort without getting all sandy? Then we have a feeling this fantastic tutorial from My Material Life that shows you how to patch several towels together to make an awesome beach blanket might be right up your alley!
9. Swiffer cover from an old towel
Many people keeps things like old clothes, bed sheets, and towels as rags for cleaning and we think that’s a great idea, but we’re also totally intrigued by the concept of taking that idea to the next level, just like Berlin’s Whimsy did here. Their tutorial teaches you how to make a cover for your floor mop that will stay on very well and help you keep things even cleaner than usual.
10. Old towel baby bibs
Perhaps you’re a new parent but you’re looking to do things in the most green and upcuycled way possible for as long as you can while your children are babies? Then, instead of buying brand new bibs from the store, we’d absolutely encourage you to take a look at how The Project Corner turned pieces of their old towels into fantastic repurposed baby bibs!
11. Old towel dish mat
Sure, you can always just lay a towel flat on the counter to dry your fishes on, but what if you’re rather something a little more absorbent so the dripping water doesn’t just fo through onto the countertop? Then we think you’ll really appreciate the way Noodle Head made this double thickness drying mat by creating the mat from spare fabric and attaching a towel layer to the underside like a lining.
12. Bath towel and old flip flop slippers
Just in case you’re still feeling totally intrigued by our suggestions of turning old towels into something you might actually wear but you’d prefer to make something cozy that you might wear primarily around your house, here’s a great idea for people whose feet are always cold! We’re in love with the way Crafty Nest used bath towels to cover a set of old flip flops and make these comfy slippers.
