If you like easy crafts with common objects that give uncommon results, keep reading! Here’s an adorable ‘faux canvas’ rustic wall hanging that you can make with a hand towel or dish towel! Perfectly customizable to every decor, every taste, and every season and holiday! Come see how I did it, plus how it turned out for a fall and Easter craft!
What Inspired This DIY Dish Towel Wall Hanging
Whenever I’m out and about, my eyes are always open for new craft ideas. First, I love to decorate my home with things I’ve made myself. Second, my sister and I are hoping to launch a handmade home decor business, and I’m always scouting for new, fresh, and trending ideas.
Something that struck my eye this season is this hanging I found at the Target Dollar Spot. First off, I’m in love with this pattern. It’s the 4th item I’ve purchased this year in that pattern. Second, I love the rustic look and feel of it.
Later that day, I was in Hobby Lobby, and I came across this wall hanging, and I began to see that this ‘canvas wall hanging’ is something of a trending piece of decor.
Of course, the wheels start spinning… I can make something like that. I started to think of projects with my Silhouette or maybe stamped tea towels or transfers… but then, I thought that there might be an easier way to go about it.
Enter hand towels.
I’m a sucker for all of the cute hand towels at Target and buy them regularly. However, many of them are so cute that they would really look amazing as wall hangings! I love the fabric that’s a perfect cotton and not a terrycloth, towel-y feel.
Today, I’m going to share how I created DIY no-sew towel wall hangings for Easter as well as evergreen home decor. It’s totally simple to customize this based on your choice of hand or dish towel.
Let me walk through detailed instructions and tips, and then I’ll include succinct steps and a short video!
Materials for Hand Towel Wall Hanging
1|Towel of your choice
Target is my go-to for towels, but you can get real cute ones at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Marshalls, too! Especially seasonal ones. Here are links to some of the ones I used for this project. They come with others in the set, so you can easily make more projects (or just have extra hand towels😂):
Plant, Grow, Bloom (This set also includes that beautiful wildflower print that’s in the picture of my canvas hanging inspiration pic!)
Easter Towels (This has a total of 6 towels, and all of them would make adorable Easter hangings!)
2| Rotary Cutter or Fabric Scissors
This is also an amazing set that comes with the cutter, the cutting mat, clips… I’d recommend this if want to get all the helpful things! Be sure to have at least cardboard or a placemat if using a rotary cutter.
3| Yardstick
I got mine from Home Depot for $1, but you can get them from Amazon as well.
4| Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
5| Package of 12″ Dowels
You will trim these to your desired length or you can keep them 12″ if you don’t mind them a little long. For certain towel, 12″ will be just right, as in the Easter one I show below.
This linked product from Amazon comes in different lengths. I bought a package of 12″ dowels from Hobby Lobby and trimmed with a miter saw; a jigsaw or circular saw should work also, although I haven’t tried it.
If you want a more rustic look, you can also just use a skinny branch from your yard!
The length will vary for each project, but it should be about 1.5 – 2″ wider than the width of your hanging. Mine was about 9ish inches.
6| Jute Twine
7| Pen or marker
Important Message about DIY Dish Towel Wall Hanging to Read First! Don’t Skip!
Before we begin, I want to share that I went through this process several times. I made a few mistakes, corrected, and then corrected again. The pictures may have all different towels because some pictures were from the first process, some from the second process, and then a few extra pictures I went back and took again after that.
This is the essence of this project that you want to know:
1| Determine the size and centering of your wall hanging
2| Trim the excess, leaving at least 1″ margins on all sides to fold & glue down neat seams
3| Create a top loop for dowel
4| Add string and hang
It feels more complicated than it needs to be when you’re trying to type out instructions, lol.
The big thing you want to make sure of when you doing this project is that your design is centered and that your edges are straight. Those are your goals.
If you have another hack in your head to do this and you want to go rogue and off-script, that’s totally fine. I’m creating these instructions for those who may want them, but a person who crafts often or who is good at figuring things out may not even need them.
However, I do recommend you reading through all the instructions, tips, and learning curves pieces before jumping to the card at the end or skipping them altogether. Learn from my mistakes! lol
Ok, that being said, let’s start!
Detailed Instructions for No-Sew ‘Faux Canvas’ Wall Hanging with Photos
Before we even get into trimming, you may be one of the lucky ones where, if you just lay your towel face down and fold in the edges to meet in the middle, it could work perfectly and you won’t even need to cut. Lucky you!
Here’s the front of it:
Now, you will still probably will need to trim the top, but it’s pretty easy to make sure you end up with a straight edge in this scenario. Your top loop for the dowel will be twice as thick, but it’s up to you if that’s a deal breaker for you.
If you really want or need to trim down the down, follow these detailed steps.
1| First, you want to identify what part of the towel you want to be your wall hanging.
If you’re using a towel that is a repeating pattern, that is really easy. This Easter pattern towel was a cinch to make – hardly any trimming – just the length! But the dowel didn’t even need trimming! If you can find something like this, this project is a breeze!
However, if you have text or picture that is in the center, it’s a little more challenging.
The size is totally individual, but it will vary depending on the towel. So, fold your towel up to the dimensions that you think you want your hanging to be. I wanted mine to be about 7″ wide, but you can make yours whatever you like.
2| Add in extra width on each side for the folded seams.
You’ll want to factor in about an extra 1/2″ -1″ on each side that will be folded over on the back. You can make your folds wider than 1″, but it should be at least 1/2″.
{I’d recommend doing an inch rather than a half inch. I found 3/4″ ideal, but that made the math a little tricky for me. 🤷♀️ But while 1/2″ is workable, an inch is probably easiest to work with.}
Add that to your total number of inches to get your total width for cutting.
So, in my case, I’m adding a 1/2″ inch on each side (an extra inch total), so that brings my total width that I need to trim to 8 ” across.
3| Locate the center point of your design, fold the towel in half, long-ways.
Take your folded towel and lay on table. In the above example, center would be the 3.5″ mark (half of 7″). But usually, if you just fold your towel in half, long-ways, you’ll probably hit center.
4| Use yardstick to measure edges and cut width with rotary cutter.
Once your towel is folded, measure half the number of your total (4″ in my case, which is half of 8″) from the folded edge out. Use a pen to mark where the 4″ spot would be (or whatever your number is).
Line up the yard stick with the dot and use your rotary cutter to cut a straight line.
You can also draw a line and use fabric scissors to cut a straight line. If using a rotary cutter, just make sure you have a placemat, cardboard, or cutting mat underneath so you don’t scratch the surface.
You can also cut each side separately; just flip the towel and follow the same measuring and marking steps on the other side.
Note: It’s not absolutely necessary for a perfectly straight edge, since no one will see the back. However, it is easier to glue down your edge and keep it aligned if you have a straight edge. If this is something you are looking to sell, then you definitely want a neat, clean, straight edge.
5| Measure and cut towel to desired length.
Now that you’ve cut your width, you’re going to trim your length.
Lay your dowel at the top of your towel in the spot where you want it. The length of your hanging is up to you.
Measure out about an inch past the top of the dowel and place a dot. Lay your yardstick across the dot and cut with a rotary cutter or fabric scissor. If using a scissor, you may want to draw a full line across with your straight edge to give you a guide.
6| Measure your folds on the back of towel.
Flip your towel so the design is facing down. Fold in each side 1/2″ (or 1″ if that’s what you determined before).
Use the yardstick as your guide to make sure each side is even. If you’re able to flip up the towel a little to make sure your design is centered, even better.
Once the sides are folding in, your hanging should be the original width you chose.
You can see in the photo above that the width of my hanging above is 7″ (a 1/2″ removed on each side, from 8″). That is also a picture where I didn’t cut the towel. If the towel isn’t transparent and you don’t mind more material, you can skip cutting if it’s easier.
7| Glue down seams on the back of towel.
Keep your yardstick on top as a weight to keep the sides folded down. Doing the left side first, then the right, glue down the top and bottom corner in accordance with the measured spot on your yardstick.
Then, slowly glue down the rest of the seam so you have a straight edge.
This is the trickiest part because you really want to keep straight edges. Take your time!
So in my example, looking down at the yardstick on top of my towel, I would fold and glue at .5″ on the left side and at 7.5″ on the right. This creates a 7″ hanging, as originally intended. You can also see that 1/2 inch folds are a little challenging. An inch fold would have made it a little easier.
8| Create loop for dowel and glue.
Once your side seams are glued down, place your dowel at the top of the towel (design-side down), fold over, and tightly glue top edge over the dowel. Make sure the dowel is as snug as possible.
(Again, you can see my mistake in this picture with centering. I had to overcompensate the seam on one side because I made an error with my original measuring. No big deal, but it was a rookie mistake.)
**If adding a dowel to the bottom, repeat above step on the bottom! You probably won’t need to cut, but basically, create about an inch loop and slide the dowel in so it’s centered, keeping dowel as snug as possible. Secure with glue if needed.
9| Tie and glue jute twine to both sides of dowel to make hanger.
Take one end of your jute string and tie a loop over the dowel. Dab a little glue to hold it in place.
Stretch the jute over to the top of the hanger, using your finger as a guide, to the height you want your hanger to be. Then pull the jute to the other side of the hanger and tie another loop on the other side. Secure with glue.
If you don’t want to tie a knot, you can also glue the end of the string to the back of the dowel and loop it around a few times. Be sure you stop your looping when the string is on the back of the dowel, before you cross the string to the other side. This way, the string is on the back of the hanging and will lay against the wall and not tug the material in the front.
10| Iron to smooth out the wrinkles and hang!
Whew! Was that as exhausting for you as it was for me?!? Anyway, I hope it wasn’t. The real work is in writing it all work. The project itself is fast and easy!
Let me share a few finished versions with you!
Here’s another one I did for fall, using a towel from Home Goods!
Now that you’ve got the idea, here are the succinct instructions you can print out and short video that you can pause as you go!
And here is a Christmas version!
No-Sew Hand Towel Wall Hanging
Materials
- Hand Towels of your choice
- Rotary Cutter (or fabric scissors)
- Yard Stick
- Cutting Mat or Cardboard (if using rotary cutter)
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
- 12" Dowels, trimmed to desired size
- Pen/Marker
- Jute Twine
Instructions
- Identify what part of the towel you want to be your wall hanging and measure.
- Add in about an 1" on each side that will be folded over on the back. Add 2 inches to your width - that's what you will trim to.
- Locate the center point of your design, fold the towel in half, long-ways at that center spot, and lay on table. Measure half the number of your total width from the folded edge out & mark with pen or marker.
- Line up the yard stick with the dot and use your rotary cutter to cut a straight line. Option: Cut each side separately; just flip the towel and follow the same measuring and marking steps on the other side. (You can also draw a line and cut with fabric scissors.)
- Lay dowel at the top of your towel in the spot of your desired length. Measure out about an inch past the top of the dowel and place a dot.
- Lay your yardstick across the dot and cut with a rotary cutter or fabric scissor. (If using a scissor, you may want to draw a full line across with your straight edge to give you a guide.)
- Flip your towel with the design is facing down. Lay down your yardstick over the towel. Fold in each side 1", making sure each side is even.
- Keep yardstick on top as a weight to keep sides folded down. Doing the left side first, then the right, glue down the top and bottom corner in accordance with the measured spot on your yardstick. Then, slowly glue down the rest of the seam so you have a straight edge.
- Place your dowel at the top of the towel (design side down), fold over, and tightly glue top edge over the dowel. Make sure the dowel is as snug as possible. (If adding a dowel to the bottom, repeat the bottom.)
- Take one end of your jute string and tie a loop over the dowel. Dab a little glue to hold it in place.
- Stretch the jute over to the top of the hanger, using your finger as a guide, to the height you want your hanger to be. Then pull the jute to the other side of the hanger and tie another loop on the other side. Secure with glue.
- Iron to smooth out the wrinkles and hang!
Notes
See post for more important tips & hacks for this project!
Hand Towel Wall Hanging Craft for the Win
And there you have it! The concept of this is transferrable to using tea towels with heat press vinyl, transfers, stamps, etc. It’s actually even easier to do when you are putting a design on after you cut. Cutting around the design so it’s centered is the challenge!
If you are looking for more creative ways to use kitchen towels as decor, check out this post with 5 more ideas!
More DIY Crafts
If you like to craft and are looking for more projects that are inexpensive and fun, let me share a few more of my favorite!
Easy Rustic Farmhouse DIY Dollar Tree Centerpiece : Any Season!
DIY Dollar Tree Rope Basket {Gift Basket Idea, Too!}
Easy Dollar Tree Farmhouse DIY Projects (done in 1 sitting!)
25 Budget-Friendly Farmhouse DIY Home Decor Projects (Updated!)
2 Easy Ways to Make a Hat with HTV and a Mini Heat Press
If you try this faux canvas wall hanging or any other project, I’d love to see! Tag me on Instagram @100affections or leave a comment on Pinterest!
Other thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
Leave a Reply