A Handmade Christmas: Personalized Towel

Guest Post by Leah Chamberlin from Your Dime, Your Time.

This towel is the absolute cutest personalized gift, and kids just love receiving something with their name on something that they use so regularly. While the pictures in this tutorial are of a towel that is made for a young child, I have made this gift for children of various ages (including one for a “tween” boy using camouflage material and a dark-colored towel) and they have all been well-received!

You could also do the name of a favorite sports team or school. With only four materials that are all inexpensive, this gift is not only incredibly frugal, but also very quick to make.

Supplies needed:

• Towel — $2
• 1/4 yard fabric that coordinates with towel — $2
• Heat ‘n’ Bond Ultrahold — $2.50 (found at Walmart — will make several towels)
• Tulip Slick Fabric Paint — $3

Instructions:

1. Pre-wash the fabric and the towel.

2. Cut the fabric and the Heat ‘n’ Bond to a smaller size that will fit all of your letters but will be more manageable to work with.

3. Follow the directions on the Heat ‘n’ Bond package to adhere the Heat ‘n’ Bond to the fabric using an iron.

4. Take the paper off the back of the heat Heat ‘n’ Bond.

5. Cut the letters needed for the child’s name from the fabric you just adhered the Heat ‘n’ Bond to. I use my Cricut to cut the letters, but you can also simply type the name in Microsoft Word in a simple font, then before you print it, in the Print Dialog Box, choose “Mirror”. After it prints, cut the letters from the paper and use these as your letters for the towel.

6. Trace them onto the Heat ‘n Bond that is adhered to the fabric. By tracing them backwards onto the back of the fabric, they will then be the correct way when you look at the front of the fabric. Or maybe you’re just artistic enough to freehand the letters!

5. Follow the directions on the Heat ‘n’ Bond package to iron the letters onto the towel.

6. After they cool, use the Fabric paint to outline the letters and/or shapes. This keeps the edges from fraying and helps keeps the edges attached to the towel.

7. Allow the paint to dry for approximately 72 hours before wrapping the present.

8.  Enjoy seeing the special kiddo in your life be thrilled to receive a gift that was made just for them!

Leah is married to her best friend and is a mom to three children who will always be reminded of their names at the end of bathtime. She enjoys blogging about anything that will help you save your dime and your time at YourDimeYourTime.com.