Sew these fish themed tea towels and potholders to bring the coastal trend into your kitchen
Give your home an update with these handmade coastal kitchen accessories. Follow our tutorial to create your own seaside collection of tea towels and potholders in blue shades.
For something a little brighter, swap out the fish appliqué for a flower or leaf shape. Or take inspirtation from our kitchen potholder tutorial for alternative motifs.
If you don't have any fabric to hand, why not transform what you already have instead. Upcycle tea towels with potato printing or sew tea towels into a tablecloth.
To make the coastal kitchen accessories you will need:
- 35 x 45cm cream cotton fabric
- 51 x 106cm ticking stripe fabric
- 51 x 70cm blue cotton fabric
- 10 x 50cm Bondaweb
- 50 x 55cm heat-proof batting
- Matching sewing thread
- 230cm of 25mm wide cotton binding tape
- Pins
- Scissors
- Quilter’s ruler
- Cutting mat
- Rotary cutter
- Square potholder
For sewing supplies, check out John Lewis & Partners
How to make the coastal kitchen pot holder:
1. Firsty, cut out two 22 x 23cm pieces from both the cream fabric and batting. Stack the pieces on top of each other, sandwiching the batting in the middle. Pin the layers together.
2. Cut out a 10 x 12cm rectangle from the blue fabric and Bondaweb. Then fuse the Bondaweb to the reverse of the blue fabric following the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Draw a fish shape that measures 11.5cm from nose to tail. Trace around the design onto the paper of the Bondaweb and cut out the shape.
4. Place in the centre of the potholder and fuse in place. Zigzag stitch around the edge in a matching thread.
5. Next, quilt the rest of the potholder with a crosshatch design. Using a quilter’s ruler, cutting mat and rotary cutter, trim the edges to measure 21 x 22cm.
6. Fold the cotton tape binding in half and press. Use the binding to sandwich the raw edges of the potholder and topstitch in place, making sure to add a loop of binding at one corner for hanging.
How to make the fish potholder:
1. Draw a fish shape that measures 27cm from nose to tail. Use the template to cut out two pieces from both the ticking fabric and the thermal batting.
2. Stack the pieces, sandwiching the batting in-between the fabric. Then scatter pin and stitch the layers together with a crosshatch design.
3. Fold the cotton tape binding in half and press. Use the binding to sandwich the raw edges of the potholder and topstitch in place, making sure to add a loop of binding at one corner for hanging.
How to make the coastal kitchen tea towel:
1. Cut a 51 x 59.5cm rectangle from the blue cotton and a 14.5 x 51cm strip from the blue ticking fabric. Pin and sew the pieces together along one of the 51cm sides with a 1.5cm seam allowance. Then press the seams open and overlock or zigzag stitch the raw edges.
2. Turn all the sides under by 1.5cm and then another 1.5cm. Press, pin and topstitch in place close to the folded edge.
How to make the fish tea towel:
1. From the ticking fabric, cut out a 51 x 71cm rectangle. Turn all the sides under by 1.5cm and then another 1.5cm. Press, pin and topstitch in place close to the folded edge.
2. Cut out a strip of cream fabric and Bondaweb measuring 10 x 36cm. Fuse the Bondaweb to the reverse of the cream fabric following the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Draw a fish shape that measures 11.5cm from nose to tail. Then, race around the design three times on the paper of the Bondaweb and cut out the shapes.
4. Peel the paper from the fish shapes, fuse to the bottom of the tea towel and sew in place with a zigzag stitch around the edge in blue thread.
