DIY Absorbable Un-Paper Towels ~ A Tittlemouse Tutorial

"When Mrs. Tittlemouse ventured to come out—everybody had gone away.

But the untidiness was something dreadful—"Never did I see such a mess—smears of honey; and moss, and thistledown—and marks of big and little dirty feet—all over my nice clean house!"

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

"She fetched soft soap, and flannel, and a new scrubbing brush from the storeroom. But she was too tired to do any more...

"Will it ever be tidy again?" said poor Mrs. Tittlemouse."

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

{Welcome to another edition of "Fun Friday" with Beatrix Potter!}

Poor Mrs. Tittlemouse indeed! She had been invaded by many unwelcome guests (of that un-thoughtful insect population) and was now left with quite a mess! However, she was a prudent little mouse and quite prepared. She simply walked into her stocked storeroom for the necessary housecleaning supplies. But no, dear reader!-- She did not reach for disposable paper napkins to wipe up those smears and smudges! She was a frugal little creature and used her handmade flannel (un-paper) towels. 

Did you mention that you buy paper towels every week? Did you want to streamline the budget? If so, follow along with Mrs. Tittlemouse's easy tutorial and you will be saving money in no time! We haven't purchased a paper towel in over 5 years and I must say it is splendid!

Supply List:

All you need are a few yards (or meters) of soft flannel (which is chosen because it is so absorbent), a pair of scissors, some sewing pins and a sewing machine (or needle and thread). The pattern we used was simply a regular piece of paper which measures out at 8 1/2 by 11 inches (which is near a common paper towel size). I also used a solid flannel on one side and my pretty print on the other in order to stretch the fabric I had on hand.

9 Easy Steps:

1. Gather your supplies (see list above).

2. Cut out your patterns (you will need a set of two pieces for each "towel" so you decide how many you would like to make).

3. Pin each set together with right sides facing each other (but leave a 5 - 6 inch opening so that you can get your hand inside to turn the fabric inside-out when you are finishing up).

4.  & 5. Sew around all four corners (with a 1/4 inch seam allowance) except for your "opening" of 5 -6 inches.

6. Now place your hand inside and invert your fabric to the right side out. You should now have both of your nice sides showing.

7. Iron down all your cloths and tuck in the opening seam area and pin the opening down in order to finish off the towel.

8. Now, do a zig-zag or fancy stitch around the entire edge of the napkin for a final finish.

9. Store in an easy to locate spot in the kitchen (mine are in a small plastic basket under the kitchen sink). 

These are great to use for those spills on the kitchen table and countertops (basically in areas where you don't want to use a "gross" rag from the rag bin). They are also nice for dusting and polishing furniture. Per Mrs. Tittlemouse, when you pair these with cloth napkins, you will no longer need to purchase paper disposables for your kitchen and that saves a mouse much money! 

Tittlemouse Tip:

If you are interested in doing this project, she would recommend preparing a stack of the "un-paper" towels in order for them to truly be a help in the household. If you make just a few, you will be tempted to purchase paper towels in no time.

You may also be interested in Mrs. Tittlemouse's bug spray recipe and her cottage rose pantry labels.

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