Hamptons Hooded Beach Towel

When our friends over at amazing trendy kid magazine Pint Size Social asked us to contribute to their DIYs with VIPs column, we were so excited to be in the company of such awesome ladies as Amy Atlas and Erica Domesek! So we went to work on this luxurious version of the kid's summer staple, the hooded towel.

There's just no reason to spend $45 on one of these if you have a sewing machine and thirty minutes!

For more details and a little interview with yours truly, click over to the column on Pint Size Social. I also highly recommend checking out the Show & Tell section, where they highlight one hot item every day - it's always something I've never seen anywhere else.  Get the full Hamptons Hooded Beach Towel DIY after the jump...

Hamptons Hooded Towel

1.  Assemble your materials.  You'll need one bath sheet (or plain terry cloth if you prefer), 2 packages of piping (2.5 yards each), and a yard of pretty cotton (I used Paula Prass Chevron in Yellow), and our hood template.


2.  Cut your terry down to 26.5" X 42.5" and do the same with your cotton.  Download the Prudent Baby Hood Template here, then cut it out:
Prudent Baby Towel Hood
3.  Trace it onto your fabrics and cut two pieces in cotton and two in terry.  Align the cotton right sides facing, pin, and sew around the curve with a 1/4" inseam. Do the same with the terry.


4.  Now take your piping and pin it around the larger opening of the cotton hood, with the edges aligned (piping facing inwards):

Sew in place along the stitches in the piping:


5.  Now fit your terry hood over your cotton one right sides facing (so you see the seam in the terry hood) and pin in place along the piped edge:

Sew together:

Flip your hood right side out!


6.  Now take your large cotton rectangle and starting in the center of one long side pin piping all the way around, aligning the edges, with the piping to the inside:

Where the piping meets, pull the cord out about a centimeter and snip it:

Then fit the other end in the fabric, re-wrap it and pin:

At the corners curve your piping:

Sew in place along the stitches in the piping.

7. Now find the middle of one wide side of your piped cotton by folding in half and marking with a pin.  Align your hood and pin in place with the opening on top and edges aligned:

Sew that in place.

8.  Now keeping your hood in the same position, lay your terry (right sides of cotton and terry facing) and pin in place all the way around:

Sew that in place, leaving a 5" opening at the center of the hood (for turning), backstitching at beginning and end.  Trim the curved corners and edges.  Turn your towel right side out through the opening, then slip stitch the opening closed:

Done!  Look at that luxurious piping!


Get the kid wet so you can snuggle 'em up in this!

And play!