New Towels for the Lego-Obsessed

Is it just me, or does anyone else like cool beach towels?  I covet the pretty ones in Target and Old Navy and drool over the selection at Pottery Barn Kids, but I'm cheap.  And addicted to making stuff.  So, year after year, we use the same boring ones I got for free from work, and nobody really complains or cares.

This year, though, I wanted a change.  My kids love the hooded towels made to look like ducks or hippos or monsters.  The possibilities are endless as to the embellishment on those towels, but, since I'm lazy, I had to figure out a simple way to construct the hoods.  I came across this tutorial, and it was on. 

Sarah and Will's current obsession: Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu.  I kind of love it too, because you really can't go wrong with Legos.  Plus, it's so easy to turn anything solid-colored into a ninja, like the Easter eggs we made this year with Sharpies. 

 So, here we go.  Let's start with the list of materials, shall we?

• 1 regular bath towel in preferred color (or terry cloth off the bolt)
• 1 coordinating hand towel (or 20" of terry cloth)
• scrap yellow terry cloth or fleece
• scrap white terry, felt, or fleece
• scrap black terry, felt, or fleece
• notions

Step 1: Place the pattern Mask piece along the fold of the yellow terry cloth and cut.  
           Set aside.

Step 2: Cut your hand towel to about 14" in length.

Step 3: Make an arc on the top of the hand towel from about 6" deep to make the hood,   like so:

Step 4: Sew along the arc line and cut off the excess fabric to about 1/4" seam allowance:

Set hood aside.
 Step 5: Applique your eyes and eyebrows onto your yellow mask pieces.  I sewed around them in a zig-zag stitch to prevent fraying.

Here's what they look like without the pupils:

Step 6: Applique your ninja mask onto the hood, centering the mask on the fold line.  Again, I used a zig-zag stitch, but you could serge and then sew as well.

Step 7:  Sew/serge the hood onto the towel.  Simply find the middle of your towel and hood (by folding them in half), and pin from the middle outwards.  Sew along the pins.

Step 8: You're done!  Admire your creations upon your swim-exhausted progeny and contemplate numerous other ways to improve upon your handiwork.

Take a bow!

Here's the link to the template for the Ninja mask, eyes, eyebrows, and pupils that I drew up by hand:  Ninjago Mask Template.