If you've got a pile of old towels you've been meaning to deal with — stained, faded, maybe already hacked into — this tutorial is exactly where to start. I'm turning them into journal toppers and pockets using paint, a few embellishments from the stash, and a sewing machine (though you can skip the sewing entirely if you prefer). The texture and thickness of towel fabric is what makes these pieces so satisfying to work with — they behave nothing like paper, and that's the whole point.
What we cover
This is a trash-to-treasure project built around batch production: painting old towels using a mono-printing method, backing and trimming the pieces, layering on embellishments like twine, wooden elements, buttons, doilies, and lace, and finishing with optional machine sewing. By the end there's a flip-through of all 16 pieces I made, so you can see the range of what's possible with the same basic formula repeated.
What you'll learn
How to paint old towels using a mono-printing technique — rather than painting directly onto the fabric, you spread paint onto a plastic surface (old packaging, sticker backing sheets, even a plastic bag works), then press the towel down and peel it off. This leaves partial coverage that builds dimension and texture, rather than covering everything flat.
How to build up color in layers, including:
- Working one color at a time and letting coverage vary across the piece
- Adding metallic or copper tones over a base color for warmth
- Using cheap glitter paint dabbed on with a brush or sponge for a subtle sparkle effect
- Spraying directly with gold spray paint as an alternative to the mono-print method
How to use towel fabric as a printing surface — once you've loaded paint onto the towel itself, you can press it onto paper to create painted sheets. I show a few examples of what these look like cut into sections for use as journal pages or backgrounds.
Why I back every piece with cardstock — fabric on its own is floppy and hard to attach cleanly to a journal. A cardstock backing gives the topper structure, makes the edges easier to control, and means you can glue it straight onto a cover without it buckling. Leaving three sides glued and one open also turns any piece into a pocket.
How to design your layout before committing to glue — laying everything out first, stepping back, and then taking a photo of the arrangement before you disassemble it. With embellishments scattered across multiple pieces, it's easy to forget what went where once you've picked things up.
How to ink edges for a finished look — running ink around the trimmed cardstock border pulls the piece together and covers any raw-edge whiteness, especially visible against light backgrounds.
How to wrap twine into pinking-shear grooves — cutting the backing with zigzag scissors or pinking shears isn't just decorative. When you wrap twine around the piece, those grooves give it a natural seat so it sits evenly without sliding.
How to attach embellishments using the right glue for each material, including:
- Hot glue for wooden elements, shank buttons (with the shanks removed), and anything that needs an immediate grab
- PVA or fabric glue for flatter, lighter pieces placed under weight to dry
- Washi tape as a temporary hold while you position twine before sewing
How to remove shank button backs so flat buttons can be hot-glued cleanly without rocking or sitting proud of the surface.
How to use machine sewing to secure layers — a simple stitch all the way around the piece holds everything invisibly if you match the thread to the fabric. I show what this looks like with invisible thread and discuss when a contrasting thread color might actually add to the design instead.
How to think in formulas for batch production — once you find a combination that works (twine wrap, wooden element, scrunched center piece, corner brads), you can repeat the logic across all your pieces and still end up with 16 that look completely different from each other.
Tips & gotchas
Wash your towels before you start. Old towels can carry oils, softener residue, or just general grime that stops paint and glue from bonding properly.
Let painted pieces dry completely before you move to the next stage. They can look patchy and a bit rough when wet — this is normal and not a reason to keep adding paint. Most of mine looked unpromising mid-process and came together once dry and embellished.
Take a photo of your design layout before you remove anything to glue down. This sounds like an obvious step until you're holding a handful of embellishments and can't remember which corner the brad was supposed to go on.
When using the hot glue gun, apply enough to hold but not so much that it creeps out past the edges. Visible glue on the surface of a topper is hard to disguise and looks messy — less is more here, and you can always add a second application if something lifts.
Constrain your color palette. I used the same two or three colors across all 16 pieces — a base, a metallic copper or red, and gold. Working within a narrow range means everything looks cohesive and you're not endlessly second-guessing whether to add another color. Adding more doesn't usually make it better.
Use pinking shears or zigzag scissors rather than straight scissors for your final edge trim. A straight cut on towel fabric can look clinical and the fraying reads less intentionally; the zigzag edge picks up twine beautifully and suits the organic feel of the material.
Check that your towel edges are straight before you glue it to the backing card. There's a little give in the fabric so you can stretch and adjust slightly before the glue sets — but it's easier to trim first than to fight a skewed piece later.
Back every piece with cardstock before embellishing. Even a small topper becomes floppy and difficult to place without a firm backing underneath.
Some of those pieces are straight toppers for journal covers; others I've left with three sides glued as pen pockets or front-cover pockets. A few have a ribbon tail tucked underneath to double as a journal closure. The towel fabric is thick enough and textured enough that it reads completely differently to anything made from paper or card — and that difference is exactly what makes it worth keeping a bag of old towels around.
