Tea towels; we use them all the time, and they need to be within easy reach. I have them hanging from my oven door, and near my sink.
But we find that the easiest way to dry our hands is to use this towel roll attached to the door!
You can see that it is well used and time has come for it to be replaced!
This was my grandfather’s ‘invention’. I am assuming he made the contraption on which the towels hang. I am not sure if this is the same one that was on the back of my grandparents’ kitchen door, or a new one constructed when he moved to this house after my grandmother died. Regardless, this one has been going strong for over 25 years!
But it is well and truly time to replace the tea towels, and it’s such a simple job that I don’t know why I haven’t done it before now. These are just 4 towels (2 red, 2 green) sewn together in a big loop.
As I am working towards a yellow kitchen, I purchased a set of lovely, bright, sunny yellow tea towels last year from Aldi. When they came back in store recently, I bought another set specifically for this purpose.
Once they were freshly washed, I cut off the tags just to keep it all looking neat.
Then, following how the old one was made, I simply butted the edges of the tea towels together and used a zigzag stitch to sew them together.
It turns out that these towels are longer than the red and green ones, so I only needed three. Of course, I only realised this after sewing four together, so some unpicking was in order.
And here it is!
This really is a very useful part of my kitchen, and now it matches the splashback 🙂
You can probably buy a rod that will do the job, but here is a close-up of what mine looks like. Just in case you, or someone you know, is handy with timber and tools!
You could easily adapt this to a sleek, modern kitchen using a metal towel rail for example. And you could make it smaller, only using 2 towels, and hang it inside your pantry or another cupboard. Or you could use some gorgeous vintage tea towels for a more traditional kitchen. But I am very happy with ours! I wonder if it will last another 25 years!
Now I just need to paint that door…
Linking up with:
DIY Showoff – That DIY Party, Plucky’s Second Thought – Cooking and Crafting with J&J, My Pinterventures – Merry Monday, Claire Justine – Merry Monday, Create With Joy – Inspire me Monday, I Should Be Mopping the Floor – Inspiration Monday, The DIY Mommy – The Creative Corner, The Lou Lou Girls, Our Home Away From Home – Tuesdays at Our Home, The Mrs Tee – Mommy Monday, Cedar Hill Farmhouse – The Scoop,Pocketful of Posies – Dream, Create, Inspire, The DIY Dreamer – From Dream to Reality, My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies – Brag About It, Oh My Heartsie Girl – Wonderful Wednesday, Savvy Southern Style – Wow Us Wednesdays, Claire Justine – Wonderful Wednesday, The Life of Jennifer Dawn – A Little Bird Told Me, 21 Rosemary Lane – Share Your Style,
Saw it, Pinned it, Did it! 
I wonder if an old-fashion rolling pin might work for the rod? I really like the idea of a continuous dishtowel. My husband takes the dishtowel hanging on the oven and it never seems to find its way back onto the oven handle. This would keep it in place!
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It probably would, Nance! It’s funny how towels never end up where they should, isn’t it lol
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