Dog Toy

• A great way to recycle old kitchen towels is to braid them together to make a terrific dog toy. Use three old rectangular kitchen towels to accomplish this craft. Lay the three towels one on top of the other. Either hand stitch or using a sewing machine, stitch across one of the short sides of the rectangular shape through all three layers. Once the towels have been stitched together at one end, separate each towel with the top towel laying to the right and the bottom towel laying to the left. Braid the three towels together alternating one towel over the other two towels in an alternating pattern. Once the braid has been finished, sew the other end through the thickness of the three towels. Make a knot on each end and have fun playing tug-of-war.
  
  

Placemats

• To make fabulous placemats, choose towels which complement the decor and color of the kitchen. Purchase 1/4-inch cotton double fold binding at the fabric store. Binding typically comes in 3 yards per package and each towel will take approximately 1 yard of binding to complete the craft project. Open the binding up and begin by securing it to one corner of the towel. One half of the binding will be on the top of the towel and one half will be on the bottom of the towel. Secure the binding in place with a straight pin. Pin binding in place around the entire towel. Sew binding in place using a sewing machine to go through the thickness of the binding and the towel. The binding will give the edge of the towel a nice finished edge. These placemats are easy to launder following use.
  
  

Bibs

• Baby bibs are simple and inexpensive to make using kitchen towels. Cut a 18-inch diameter circle from the kitchen towel. Cut a 6-inch diameter circle from the top of the 18-inch diameter circle to make the neck hole for the bib. Use 1/8-inch seam binding to finish the edges of the bib. Starting at one corner, reserve a 4-inch length of seam binding before pinning binding in place. Pin binding around the entire outer edge of the circle, leaving an additional 4 inches of binding on the other corner edge of the bib. Sew binding in place using a zig-zag stitch on a sewing machine to secure binding in place. Pin seam binding in place around neck edge and sew in place with a zig-zag stitch. The 4-inch reserved length of seam binding will be used as a tie to secure the bib around baby's neck.
  
  

Pillow

• Kitchen towels come in a wide selection of colors and patterns. Choose two towels and pin them together with the right sides facing each other. Sew either by hand or using a sewing machine on the two long edges and only one short edge of the towels. Make sure to stitch through the entire thickness of the two towels using a small straight seam stitch. Once sewing has been finished, turn the pillow out with right sides facing out. Either fill the case with a pre-purchased pillow insert which is found at the local craft store or stuff the case with polyfil stuffing, which also is found at the craft store. Stitch the open edge shut.