Bee Cotton Reusable Projects

Cotton and Terry Cloth Reusable Fabric Towels

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• 1 1/2yd cotton
• 1 1/2yd terry cloth
• 24 snap sets
• Snap pliers
• Awl (your snap pliers probably came with one)
• Straight pins
• Ruler
• Rotary cutter and cutting mat

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut twelve 12"x 12" squares of cotton and twelve 12"x 12" squares of terry cloth.
2. Place a cotton square and a terry square right sides together and pin; repeat for the other squares.
3. Sew around the edges, lining the edge of the fabric up with your presser foot, leaving about a 3 inch gap to turn the towel right side out.
4. Trim the excess fabric off the corner edges and turn right side out; push corners out.
5. Sew the opening gap closed.
6. Attach the snaps at the corners - overlap the top of one towel an inch over the bottom of another towel, measure in 1/2" from the left corner edges, use the awl to make a hole through top and bottom layer at the same time. Take your top towel, place a cap on top and a stud on the bottom (the stud is the piece that protrudes, the socket is the piece that recedes), press together with snap pliers. Then move to the bottom towel, place a cap on bottom and a socket on top, press together with snap pliers. Then do the same thing for the corner on the right side. Repeat this process for all of the towels, remembering to connect the top to the bottom after you’ve made it down the rest of the line.

Bee Cotton Sponges

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• 2, 4"x 6" flexible foam pieces
• 4"x 6" cotton
• 4"x 6" terry cloth
• 4"x 6" mesh
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine and thread

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the terry cloth rectangle on top of the foam rectangle, pin in place, and sew around the edges. Set aside.
2. Place the cotton rectangle on top of the foam rectangle. Then place the mesh rectangle on top of the cotton rectangle, pin in place, and sew around the edges.
3. Place the two sewn foam rectangles right sides together and sew around the edges, leaving one short edge open.
4. Trim excess fabric off corners and trim seams down to about 1/8".
5. Turn right side out through the opening on the short side.
6. Fold in the opening on the short edge and pin in place.
7. Topstitch all the way around the rectangle about 1/4" from the edge.

Cotton Pot Holders

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Pellon 940 Silver Lining Insul-Film
• Cotton batting
• Cotton fabrics - 1/4yd for main circle, 1/4yd for crescent circle, 1/2yd for binding
• Quilting ruler
• Rotary cutter and cutting mat
• 1" bias tape maker
• Iron
• Straight pins
• White tailor’s chalk
• Cotton thread
• Sewing machine
• Walking foot for sewing machine_x000B_Quilting needle for sewing machine

DIRECTIONS:

1. Use a salad plate or another approximately 8 inch circle as a template, and trace one circle on the Pellon Silver Lining, three circles on the cotton, two circles on the cotton batting.
2. On one of the cotton circles, make a concave arc at the top by placing the salad plate about an inch above the center of the circle and trace the arc of the plate.
3. Cut out this crescent-shaped piece and use it as a template and trace one crescent on the cotton and two crescents on the cotton batting. Cut out all ten pieces.
4. Spread out the cotton fabric for the binding on your cutting mat, find a 45 degree angle with your quilting ruler, and cut across your fabric. Then measure out 2 inches from the cut edge and cut across again; this will give you a long 2-inch wide strip of fabric cut on the bias. Measure out another 2 inches and cut another long strip of bias-cut fabric. Two long strips from your 1/2 yard of material should be plenty long for your pot holder edges, but double check by loosely wrapping around one circle and the top edge of a crescent before moving on. You will also need an additional 4 1/2" of bias tape for the hanging loop.
5. Bring the strips over to your ironing area, push the tip of the fabric through the bias tape maker and iron the folds as you go along.
6. With all your fabrics cut and prepped, you can begin to assemble the pot holders.
7. Make a sandwich of the circle layers - cotton circle face down, cotton batting, silver lining, cotton batting, cotton circle face up. Pin in place.
8. Make a sandwich of the crescent layers - cotton crescent face down, cotton batting, silver lining, cotton batting, cotton crescent face up. Pin in place.
9. Use quilting ruler and tailor’s chalk to lightly mark a 45-degree angled line across the center of the sandwiched circles.
10. With a walking foot and quilter’s needle on your sewing machine, sew across the chalked line.
11. From that first sewn line, use the quilting ruler and tailor’s chalk to mark out parallel lines every inch across the surface of the circle. Sew lines.
12. Repeat steps going in the perpendicular direction.
13. Then, repeat all steps for the sandwiched crescents.
14. Trim any excess material off so that the edges around the crescent and the edges around the circle are clean. This will make binding easier.


15. Sew bias tape over the concave arc of the crescent: Line up a raw edge of your bias tape with the concave top of the crescent shape, right sides together, pin in place.
16. Sew along the crease.
17. Flip folded bias tape edge over the raw edge of the crescent and pin in place. Then, flip the crescent back over to the right side, and sew the bias tape about 1/8" in from the seam. Trim edges.
18. Pin crescent in place on circle.
19. Cut a 4 1/2" length of bias tape and sew together about 1/8" from edge along the non-folded edge.
20. Fold in half, turn upside-down, and place bottom edges side-by-side at the top center of the circle. Pin in place. (the raw edges of the bias tape should line up with the raw edge of the circle, the length of the hanging loop should be pinned onto the circle.)


21. Sew bias tape around the edge of the circle: Line up a raw edge of your bias tape with the raw edge of the circle, right sides together, pin in place.
22. At the place where the beginning and the end of the bias tape overlap, fold in the beginning bias tape’s edge, hold in place and pin the end of the bias tape’s edge over top.
23. Sew along the crease all the way around the circle.
24. Flip the folded bias tape edge over the raw edge of the circle and pin it in place. Then, flip the circle back over to the right side, unpin the hanging loop and repin it right side up over top of the bias tape, and sew the bias tape about 1/8" in from the seam, all the way around.