Thursday 9 July 2015

Baby Wash Cloths

Last week I showed you the baby wash cloths and fabric basket I made for a virtual baby shower. Today I thought I'd show you the first set of wash cloths that I had originally sewed up for the same present. 

Baby wash cloths make a great gift and they are so easy to make ~ Threading My Way


When I was half way through, I wondered whether these ones would be suitable, as they needed to be gender neutral. The further I progressed, the more I wondered if there was too much blue. Personally, I like blue on both boys and girls, and the same with pink. However, not everybody does and the present wasn't for me. So I decided to make another set for the virtual baby shower.


These wash cloths will still be put to good use. At the end of June, I posted about a baby gift that didn't work out. I ended up buying a gift for the new little baby boy. I'm thinking that I'll give him these washers for Christmas. He'll be about nine months old by then, and still making lots of messes.

I've always called these washers, or face washers, but in recent times I've increasingly seen them referred to as wash cloths. Perhaps this is a different country thing.


Whatever you call them, baby wash cloths would have to be one of the easiest gifts to make. Basically, it's two pieces of fabric sewn together.
  • Cut two pieces of fabric the same size.
  • Place right sides together.
  • Sew together leaving a gap for turning. I sewed a ½" seam.
  • Turn right side out.
  • Topstitch around all edges closing up the gap.
  • Quilt if you would like.


I used quilting cotton for one side and cotton terry velour for the other. You could use other fabrics that are soft and absorbent.

It took me a while to work out the right needle to use, as the terry sometimes caught and looped, causing threads to be pulled. I started with a sharps needle, thinking it would be best, but not so. A universal needle proved to be much better. I'm guessing this was due to the slightly rounded tip.


There's lots of tutorials online:

The one that inspired me to make mine was the So Soft Wash Cloths Tutorial. I rounded the corners as I was sewing, rather than at the cutting stage. I just eyeballed the curve. I also made the seam allowances wider (½" ).

Baby wash cloths make a great gift and they are so easy to make ~ Threading My Way

I'll make another little fabric basket to put the wash cloths in and then I can tick off another Christmas present. I don't think I've ever been this organised!!!

How do you feel about blue for girls and pink for boys?

... Pam

22 comments:

  1. I have a number of double gauze scraps which would be perfect for washcloths. I was wondering what to use them for, so thank you for the idea.
    My daughter wore some really adorable blue outfits which I still have because I liked them so much. She even wore my brother's hand me downs from when he was a baby that my mother saved!

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  2. I don't mind blue on boys and girls, but I'm not a fan of pink on boys! I understand it's a cultural thing though as I was making baby things to go to Africa and I was told not to worry about pink and blue because they are not into that. :D

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    1. Better to be safe than sorry, which is why I ended up making two sets.

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  3. Nowadays I think pretty much anything goes Pam :) Don't know what these would be called in the UK, I am guessing face cloths but that might not be the same thing at all!

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    1. I'm British born and raised but have lived in the USA for the past 38 years. Yes you are right, basically they are face cloths, haven't heard that in a while. lol

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  4. I'm not overly precious on the blue/pink divide, and especially as blue is my favourite colour! But I can see that some Mums might see these as slightly boyish so your decisions looks a good safe call to me. And what a great, easy present to make, especially with the basket too. I'm just wondering on your instructions - did you meant to say 'place wrong sides together'? It could be that my brain hasn't quite woken up properly over here yet but right sides together seemed more likely with the rest of the instructions? Or is that another different use of vocabulary between Australia and UK?

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    1. THANK YOU!!!! Your brain has woken properly. Mine must have been half asleep, though. I've amended the instructions to right sides together.

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  5. These are amazing! You are so clever and don't worry I think blue is a great colour for boys and for girls! So glad I have found your blog!

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    1. Thanks so much, MammaRaj, for taking the time to stop by and leave such a lovely comment.

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  6. They are lovely and I think the colors work great for both boy or girl.

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  7. This is a great little project. I've never thought of making something like these for a baby gift, but they are perfect.

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  8. What a great idea! I, too, am not on the gender divide - when it comes to babies and little children, I think any colour goes - especially when it's a handmade item made with love! Will definitely be adding these to my "need a baby gift" repertoire! Thanks for sharing a great post.

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  9. Never thought of this, but it such a nice gift. Thanks for sharing, I will sure make a lot myself to give away. Love the colors for girls and boys.

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  10. What a great idea, love the material you used :)

    Thanks for sharing at Creative Mondays,

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  11. Oh my these are beyond cute!! I'd love these for my baby boy! Thanks for sharing at Submarine Sunday!

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  12. These are so cute and I'm sure very durable. Yep, we've always call them wash clothes. Actually my Mother from the Recession era, called them wash rags because I guess they were by the time they got done with them.

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  13. Those washcloths are just so sweet! I love the printed fabric you used! :) Lisa

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  14. This is on my list of things to make. I would love to have a stash to give as impromptu gifts. And yes, here in my neck of the woods in the US they are washcloths, and frequently washrags. I think they were washrags because back in the depression my grandparents wouldn't purchase a cloth for washing. They used a rag torn from something else which had seen better days, but still had fabric that was usable. They also washed dishes with dishrags.
    Thanks for the reminder to make these! And all the links! I love seeing what everyone else is making.
    Jan

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Jan. It's interesting to hear the background of words, and how they are still used or modified today. I sometimes call a dish cloth a dishrag, but never a wash cloth. And until reading your comment, I'd never thought about how I use the term.

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  15. These are very cute - and practical! I have a pattern to make a slightly larger, similar version that is/can be used for a "burp cloth." I plan to make several of the larger ones for my first great-grandchild (a girl) but now I think I'll make both sizes for matched sets! Thank you for the inspiration!

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  16. Your first great grandchild - how very exciting. Enjoy every minute wiping up spills with your wash cloths and burp cloths.

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