How to Put Old Towels to Good Use!

By: Lily Ezersky and Mahima Thevar

A huge part of the UMiami experience is being close to the water. But what can we do with old beach items that we still want wear out of? Beach towels are the perfect item to upcycle and create DIY shirts and household items. We’ll show you some quick and easy steps to creating the cutest beach towel coverups to get the most use out of every towel in your closet!

Materials:

• 1 towel

• 1 tape measure

• Scissors 

• Iron

• Thread

• Needle 

• Iron-on patches (optional)

• Acrylic Paint (optional)

• Stencils (optional)

Steps:

1. Lay the towel out in front of you on a flat surface.

2. Cut a hole in the center of the towel large enough to fit your head through. 

3. You can stop here if you would just like to have a poncho. 

4. Fold your towel in half so the head hole is at the top of the towel.

5. Measure the circumference of your upper arms.

6. Mark half of the previous measurement

7. Crop length of towel, if needed, till desired length.

8. Sew two sides (length) to where there is a whole large enough for your arm.

9. Sew hem if desired.

Other Towel-Upcycle Tutorials and Inspiration:

• https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR3wj8Bq/

• https://mellysews.com/ways-to-upcycle-old-towels-re-use-old-towels/

• https://everythingsfamtastic.com/clever-ideas-repurpose-your-old-towels/

• http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/02/bath-pouf-that-um-looks-like-rose.html

• https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinphraner/turn-old-towels-into-a-soft-sophisticated-bath-mat?utm_term=.nlmBl8eWm#.xgxnqKE7x

Any questions? Contact us at um_uthrift on instagram!