How To Solve A Major Kitchen Annoyance With One Easy DIY

When I started this blog back in 2011, I set a goal to share “one good thing” with my readers every day. (And by “readers,” I meant my mom, dad, and husband, because they truly were the only people reading my blog in the beginning!)

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Although my blog has experienced a lot of growth over the past 8 years, my goal hasn’t changed a bit! I’m still as dedicated as ever to the process of discovering and sharing “good things” that make life easier or more enjoyable!

If sharing “good things” on my blog has taught me anything, it’s that good things come in many shapes and sizes. And even when a problem is small or more of an annoyance than anything, it can still be just as satisfying to find a solution!

And that brings us to the topic of today’s post, because it definitely qualifies as a satisfying solution to one of my major “pet peeves” in the kitchen. Because today I’ll be showing you how to make a simple hanging dish towel that will actually stay on your oven door handle without sliding off!

A Note On Sewing

Before we dive in to the actual tutorial, I wanted to mention that yes, this project does require a small amount of sewing. However, this is a very beginner-friendly project! If you can use a sewing machine to sew a (mostly) straight line, you’ve got what it takes to make this hanging dish towel. :-)

How To Make A Simple Hanging Dish Towel

You’ll need:

• Dish towel
• Scissors
• Wide ribbon
• Thin ribbon
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Safety pins

Directions:

Step 1 – Cut Your Ribbons

Use your scissors to cut two lengths of your wide ribbon about 1” longer than the width of your towel.

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Next, cut two lengths of your thin ribbon that measure 8” longer than the lengths of wide ribbon you just cut.

Step 2 – Attach The Wide Ribbons

Position the first length of wide ribbon 4” down from the top of the towel (If your towel doesn’t have a design that needs to be positioned a certain way, just pick one of the short edges to use as the “top.”)

Pin the ribbon in place, then sew it down along both long edges. Fold the ends of the ribbon under before sewing them down to make a nice finished edge (or just sew end-to-end and you can trim the excess later!)

Next, position the second length of wide ribbon 4” below the first ribbon. Sew it in place in the same manner, along both long edges.

Step 3 – Add The Thin Ribbons

Attach a safety pin to the end of one of the thin ribbons, then feed it through the opening of one of the wide ribbons. Feed it through until it comes out the other end.

Repeat the process for the second thin ribbon, so that both wide ribbons have a thin ribbon running through them. Remove the safety pins and make sure the thin ribbons are centered across the width of the towel.

Gather all four ends of the thin ribbons in one hand, then cinch the towel together until it’s a little more than half the original width. Pin the ribbons in place, then sew down the four open edges of the wide ribbon.

If necessary, trim the edges of your ribbons to finish. (If you chose not to fold under the edges, you may want to singe them with a lighter after trimming  to prevent fraying.)

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Step 4 – Hang Your Towel

Once your towel is done, hang the top over your oven door handle and use the edges of the thin ribbons to tie it in place. Then go forth and enjoy your dependable dish towel that won’t slip, slide, or budge until you want it to! :-)

While I’m reasonably confident in my sewing skills, I normally avoid sewing projects simply because they’re too time-consuming. But this one is so quick to do, and I love the way the finished towels look (and more importantly, perform!)

If you could pick one minor annoyance or pet peeve to eliminate from your daily life, what would it be?