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Sustainable & beautiful: Sew your own dishcloth

18.01.2019 by Sabine Schmidt

Nachhaltig & schön: Spültuch selber nähen

Sewing your own dishcloth—that's a sustainable sewing idea! Homemade dishcloths are washable and simply beautiful. With sewing instructions and a free downloadable pattern.

The most important things at a glance

  • In this post, I'll show you how to sew a beautiful, sustainable dishcloth yourself
  • You can easily sew the dishcloth from fabric scraps and old jute bags
  • You can easily download the free pattern for the dishcloth in this post
  • If you're interested in more sustainable sewing ideas, take a look here

I've been thinking more and more about sustainability lately—here on the blog and in everyday life.

I think there are so many things you can do right in the household. For example, by no longer using plastic cling film. I'll show you here on the blog how you can make your own fabric and beeswax cling film .

At SewSimple, washing up is a man's job.

And when my husband recently brought up the issue of microplastics in dishcloths, it really got me thinking. What could be better than designing a pattern for pretty dishcloths and sewing some yourself?

Sewing a dishcloth in just a few steps

Sewing your own dishcloth

And from fabric scraps and old jute bags from St. Nicholas. ;)

By the way, you can also use coffee sacks. Then the pretty household helpers will have a cool industrial look thanks to the coffee sack print. I recently made a stylish headboard from coffee sacks for the guest bed.

*

You can sew the dishcloths with one or more layers of interfacing.

I use cotton interfacing, which I combine with scraps of other interfacings. This way, I have a nice stack of dishcloths in different thicknesses. Or rather: my husband. ;)

Sewing your own dishcloth

You can sew together scraps of interfacing and Style-Vil with a zigzag stitch. Just straighten the edges, lay them together, and join them with a zigzag stitch.

Sewing your own dishcloth

Sewing your own dishcloth

Supplies needed to sew the dishcloth

Note on interfacing: I used a classic cotton interfacing* to sew in. It works well because it's very absorbent and also washes really well.

Soy interfacing* has very similar properties, which I also like to use for dishcloths (and lightly padded makeup remover pads!).

Images: This is what it looks like

Sewing your own dishcloth
Sewing your own dishcloth
Sewing your own dishcloth
Sewing your own dishcloth
Sewing your own dishcloth
Sewing your own dishcloth

Almost too beautiful to use for washing up, right? ;)

Happy simple sewing,

your Sabine

Sewing your own dishcloth
Sewing your own dishcloth

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the advantage of a homemade dishcloth?

Homemade dishcloths have many advantages: They are sustainable, do not cause microplastics, and look beautiful.

Can sewing beginners also sew the dishcloth?

Absolutely. With just a few materials, a few fabric scraps, and the free pattern, even beginners can sew the dishcloth in no time.

Can I also sew the dishcloth in other sizes?

Yes, that's no problem at all. You can adapt the pattern to your desired size and sew a dishcloth exactly as you imagine it.

Links marked with * are affiliate links: If you make a purchase through them, we receive a small commission. The price remains the same for you.

Step-by-step instructions

Sew your own dishcloth

Photo tutorial for a sustainable dishcloth made of cotton, jute and wadding — with an optional hanging loop.

  1. Step

    Cut out the pattern

    Cut the pattern once each from cotton, jute and wadding.

    Cut out the pattern
  2. Step

    Stack the layers and pin them

    Place the wadding at the bottom, the jute on top of it and then the cotton right side down onto the jute. Pin all three layers together well.

    Stack the layers and pin them
  3. Step

    Prepare several cloths

    Then place the two layers of wadding on top of each other at the bottom, with the jute and cotton fabric on top, cotton right side down onto the jute.

    You can also prepare a whole batch straight away before you sit down at the sewing machine.

    Prepare several cloths
  4. Step

    Sew a hanging loop

    If you want to hang up the cloths, you can sew a small hanging loop from a 5 - 6 cm piece of bias binding. Simply stitch the bias binding closed with a straight stitch.

    Sew a hanging loop
  5. Step

    Insert the loop

    Then sew it onto the jute and wadding at the desired spot within the seam allowance with a short basting seam.

    Insert the loop
  6. Step

    Sew the dishcloth together

    Sew all the way around, leaving a turning gap of approx. 6 cm on one of the long sides.

    Sew the dishcloth together
  7. Step

    Turn and press

    Turn the dishcloth right side out through the turning gap and shape the corners and seams neatly. I like to use a stiletto for this.

    Then you can press the cloth. Fold the seam allowances of the turning gap to the inside and press them too.

    Turn and press
  8. Step

    Pin the turning gap

    Pin the turning gap closed with a few pins.

    Pin the turning gap
  9. Step

    Topstitch the dishcloth

    Edgestitch once around the dishcloth with a straight stitch, stitching the seam allowances closed as you go.

    Ready, steady, wash up!

    Topstitch the dishcloth

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About the author

Sabine

I come from Siegen-Wittgenstein, where I spent my childhood breaking in cows, jumping off haystacks and scraping a D- in needlework class.

Today, being creative feels like indescribable happiness to me – and it grows even more when I can share it with others. Since 2016 I have been celebrating my passion for sewing on this blog, and I love that sewing connects so many people.