Forget the Dishes! Put Your Tea Towels to Work With These Crafty Upcycles

If you’ve been following us over the past few weeks, you know we’re already knee-deep in thrifted-goods upcycling projects (see: preloved blanket remakes and vintage-tablecloth DIYs). But as every sewist knows, there’s always room for more! And this time we’ve got our sights set on the kitschiest of kitchenware: we’re talking koala-filled linens brimming with banksias and quippy quotes. Yep, vintage tea towels!

We’ve gathered up a bunch of shoppable treasures, tutorials and sewing inspiration. Because drying dishes is boring! And getting stitchy is good for the planet and the soul. (Side note: if you can’t bear to cut up your op-shop scores, use them to wrap gifts! We’d be pretty chuffed to receive this perfectly presented tea towel package from UK homewares designer Ella Parks.)

above HOUSE OF CLARE

PARTY FAVOURS: TEA TOWEL DRESSES   

Aussie tea towels are hot right now (really! Take a look at the gorgeous designs Tara Whalley presented at New York Fashion Week). Of course, Brisbane’s Sue-Ching Lascelles has been making magic with them since her original creation back in 2021 (above, right). In the centre, we have @KatieMakesADress, who deserves a standing ovation for her work. Having bravely taken on a @Roberts.Wood pattern, Katie crafted this covetable make from an incredible 194 pieces. And, because more is always more, we had to include these stunning frocks by Scottish seamstress @JoyfulGrapefruit.

THE DRESS TO IMPRESS

Californian sewist Cait Trantham of @CaitConquers takes the upcycled dress to a whole new level with this beauty, a project that took 18 months to complete. The skirt alone weighs almost seven kilograms and the bottom tier is about eight metres long! Supporters sent in tea towel donations from every state in the US and from countries around the world (including Australia – there’s a Mildura patch on the bodice).

TOP MAKES: TEA TOWEL SHIRTS 

Like fellow Queenslander Sue-Ching, Clare Wright of House of Clare is known for her handy ways with a tea towel. Her specialty is boxy button-downs (above, left) but she also does custom pieces, so if you have the linen and lack the sewing skills, you can have Clare bring your vision to life. Meanwhile, Californian sewist @Selina_Sanders does a gorgeous sleeve (above, centre) and, call us biased, but we rather fancy this Newcastle top by sewing teacher @MadeByMeJessieB (ahem, it’s a hacked version of our easy-sew Peppermint Tansey Top).

INSIDES OUT: TEA TOWEL HATS

If you’ve made it through an Aussie summer, chances are you’ve spent some time with a wet tea towel on your head. These hats are not that. Less suburban Survivor and more vintage glam, these flora-filled, retro delights are sure to turn heads. We love the fringing on this Tassie make (above, left) by Tanya of @VintyHQ, while the reversible styles by Jessica Wolf (above, centre) and Rachael Laura of Billie + Billy offer two sun-fighting noggin-covers in one.

BOTTOMS UP: TEA TOWEL PANTS 

As if the foliage on the front wasn’t enough, the shorts (above, left) by sewing school @SipAndSew.Sydney happen to have a very handy recipe for damper (“bread of the bush”) on the back. We also love the laid-back look of these pants by Victorian label GiselleSaysHello (above, centre) and Mumbai brand Tiger and Twig (it took eight tea towels to craft this finery!).

CARRIED AWAY: TEA TOWEL BAGS 

We’re of the firm belief that the bags by UK seller @Clarice.Vintage (above, left) are the cheeriest, most sunshine-filled totes out there. Whatsmore, they’re lined with lovely vintage pillowcases. Sadly, she’s on maternity leave at the moment, so you won’t be able to get your hands on one for a while. In the meantime, we advise you take a gander at these clever tea-towel bag tutorials: there’s Orange Bettie’s speedy Tea Towel Origami Bag (above, centre) and Vicky Myers Creations’ super-speedy Ten Minute T Towel Tote. Both are great and both are free!