It seems that 'scrubby buddies' are very big with the "under 5" crowd. Here's how you can make one using a page from a coloring book! This is a fun way to turn a tattered old towel into a new bathtime buddy! Any child in your life would love one... but if you use it for yourself...I won't tell anybody!
What you'll need:
a page from a coloring book with a simple largish figure, a tattered towel you don't mind cutting up (or terry cloth fabric), embroidery floss, scraps of 100% cotton, scissors, pen or pencil, anti-fray solution (optional)
1. Choose your figure. This is from a large coloring pad. These owl's eyes look quite like mine do in the morning!
2. Sketch a seam allowance around your figure. About 3/8"-1/2". You don't have to be perfect! Cut out your figure.
3. Trace your figure onto your towel or terry cloth fabric and cut it out.
4. Now you'll want to cut out the main components of your figure. For Mr. Owl, this would be his wings, eyes, and head feathers...
"Whoooo did this to me?!?"
5. Trace the components onto your scraps of cotton. If you don't want to add applique to your 'scrubby buddy', you can just trace the components onto the terry cloth figure and embroider the features on.
6. Cut the fabric pieces out. Treat the edges with an anti-fray solution if desired (I wish they made an anti-fray solution for nerves, don't you?). Hand or machine stitch the pieces onto the terry cloth figure.
7. When your figure is complete, cut a larger piece of terry cloth to use as the back. Pin the right side of your figure to the terry cloth and sew around it, leaving the bottom open.
8. Trim the excess terry cloth from the edges and turn right-side-out. Turn under the bottom edge and machine or hand-stitch the hem to finish!
My husband just requested a shark 'scrubby buddy'...back to the sewing machine!
