Beach Bag Towel
If you want to make a fun, easy, and useful project for a 4-H club or for a home project this is the project for you! Turn a beach towel into a bag with a zippered pouch to hold all your swimming accessories and still be able to use it as a towel! Watch instructions.
Supplies Needed:
- Beach towel (approx. 28” x 60”)
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ yard coordinating fabric for pouch (preferably heavier than cotton – but cotton will work!)
- 12 – 14” zipper
- 30 “ of 1” wide webbing for strap (suggested)
- Thread, scissors, pins, measuring tape
Method:
Cut coordinating fabric for pouch into desired size. The one pictured is 24”x 18” but you can make it any size you want!
To insert the zipper, fold material in half putting raw edges together. Center the zipper along the raw edges and pin where the zipper coil ends on both ends.
Sew from each end to the pin marking the placement of the zipper. Place the zipper right side down on the edge of the seam and using a zipper foot or moving the needle to the edge of the pressure foot, sew along the edge of the zipper lengthwise. It works best if you unzip the zipper and place the cloth edge of the zipper along the outside edge of the material. Sew to the end of the zipper – when you get close to the bottom, you will need to zip up the zipper again. Turn the material/zipper around and sew up the other side of the zipper and the material. Make sure you are just sewing on one edge of the material on your way up and the other side of the material on your way down.
An alternate way of inserting the zipper can be seen on https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=HKdNMoMqV-8
When the zipper is inserted, you have made a tube. With right sides together, arrange the tube so the zippered seam is about 2” - 3” from the top of the tub. Then with the ZIPPER OPEN, and with right sides together, sew up each side of the pouch. Clip corners and turn the pouch right side out through the zipper (that’s why you need the zipper open :). Press and you are finished with the most difficult part of this entire project! Congratulations!
Place the pouch evenly on the bottom end of the towel centering it from side to side and placing it about 3” from the bottom end. The towel needs to have the right side up. Pin in place. It is helpful to burn the edges of the webbing first with a match or lighter to prevent fraying. Place the webbing with the end of the webbing even with the top outer edge of the pouch making sure it isn’t twisted. Sew around the sides and bottom of pouch leaving the top edge open.
To make the bag, reach inside into the bottom corners of the pouch and turn the pouch and the towel inside out. Fold edges of towel towards the middle, then fold the towel down enough times to fit into the pouch. Walaa! You have a beach towel bag to carry all of your accessories that can still be used as a towel!
Authors
GaeLynn Petersen, M.S, USU Extension Agent, Wayne County
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