Towel animals are often used by cruise lines, B&Bs and Hotels to make your stay memorable. Including some in your guest bathroom is sure to impress! To fold a towel swan, follow these directions.
Steps.
1. Lay a bath towel flat. Be sure to orient it in the “landscape” position as shown below.
2. Fold the top two corners downwards and inwards so that they meet in the center. Note that, since it's not a perfect square, they won't line up with the bottom edge of the towel.
3. Roll the two outside edges inwards toward the center. The resulting shape should like an upwards-pointing arrow.
4. Fold the resulting arrow in to a Z. Be sure that the two bottom points of the arrow end up at the bottom of the Z and the top point, at the top.
5. Set the Z down and squeeze the corners to set the curves. The Z should now look like a swan.
6. Repeat for a swan companion whose neck can complete a heart shape.
Tips.
You can make swan babies with hand towels. Try for a towel swan family!
If you're making a pair of swans, be sure your bath towels are of equal thickness and size for best results.
This makes a great "7 Swans A Swimming" substitute if you are doing The 12 Days of Christmas for someone. You can give 7 white bath towels, fold them like swans, and place the wash cloths as suggested above in a fan shape at the rear. Add the hand towels as the water underneath in a light blue color.
You can add tails to your swans too. A simple "paper fan" type fold with a hand towel works well – or you can make the triangular scroll shape (like you used for the body) with a hand towel and fold the two corners that you rolled back under the towel. Roll the side down a little so it goes around the part you tucked under. This resembles wings when you place it on the swan's back (with the point toward the back)
Warnings.
Make sure that the towel is totally dry before folding. Even a slightly damp towel can make the swan look slouchy and sad.
Hanging a mirror is a great way to open up your space and make it look bigger and brighter! Weigh and measure your mirror to determine Once you’ve picked the perfect spot to hang your mirror, it’s time to straighten it up and mark where the hardware will go. Install your hardware and hang the mirror in place, then admire the finished product!
Part 1 Choosing a Location.
1. Stand on a bathroom scale with and without the mirror to calculate its weight. The difference between the 2 numbers is the weight of the mirror. A heavy mirror will weight between 35 to 100 pounds (16 to 45 kg), while a lighter mirror will fall between 1 to 35 pounds (0.45 to 15.88 kg). While both weight categories hang the same way, you’ll need to put more thought and care into anchoring a heavy mirror into the wall.
If your mirror weighs over 10 pounds (4.5 kg), have someone help you with the placing and hanging process.
Heavy mirrors need some kind of anchor, such as a stud in the wall, so that will affect where you can place it.
Make sure to choose hardware with a high enough weight capacity to hold your mirror!
2. Choose a room to hang the mirror in. Think about which rooms feel smaller, dark, or more cramped, and could use some brightening up, such as bathrooms or bedrooms. You could also use the mirror as a statement piece in main areas of the house, such as the living room mantel or the dining room.
Hang a mirror 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) above your mantel for a central statement piece.
Display a dramatic mirror in the dining room or entryway to reflect light and open up the space.
Add a new mirror to your bathroom to add visual interest.
Hang a full-length mirror on your door to conserve space.
3. Ask someone to help you hold and place the mirror to get the full picture. Have a friend or family member hold the mirror up to the wall while you step back and look. This will help you visualize the finished product and find the exact placement you want. Once you’ve decided on a spot, mark the outline with pencil or masking tape.
4. Make a paper outline of the mirror to easily visualize where to hang it. Use butcher paper or cardboard to trace and cut out the shape of the mirror. Hold the outline up to the wall and use it to visualize how the mirror would look. Adjust it until you find a spot that you like, then use pencil lines or masking tape to mark the placement.
5. Find a stud in the wall to hang a heavy mirror. If your mirror is over 35 pounds (16 kg), your best bet is to drill into a stud to support the weight. These wooden beams in the walls act as inner supports and will help hold the mirror more solidly than plaster or drywall. To find a stud, use a stud finder tool, knock and listen, or look for indicators like outlets and molding nails.
6. Use a straight-edged board to check the wall for flatness. If the wall is bumpy, it can make a heavy mirror wobble or even break from uneven pressure. Use a long, flat board, such as a yardstick or a straight piece of 1x3 lumber. Slide the board over the wall and note any rocking, which indicates a bump.
If the wall has too many bumps, mark them in pencil and sand them down gently with medium or coarse sandpaper. To save time, you could also just choose a new place to hang the mirror.
Part 2 Measuring and Marking the Space.
1. Draw a line on the wall where the bottom of the mirror will go. Once you’ve picked the perfect spot for the mirror, have someone help hold the mirror while you mark its position. Line up a level below the mirror’s bottom edge and make sure it’s straight. Set the mirror down, but keep the level in place as a straightedge. With a pencil, draw a light line along the top of the level indicating the position of mirror’s bottom edge once it’s hung. Make the line as long as the bottom of the mirror.
Before you draw, tilt the level until the bubbles in the liquid line up perfectly, indicating that the line is perfectly straight.
2. Keep your level and pencil close by for hanging an unbacked mirror. At this point, you can start installing the hardware for your unbacked mirror. However, you’ll need to keep your measuring and marking supplies handy during the process, so don’t put them away yet!
3. Measure and mark the distance for a backed mirror. Use a tape measure to find the distance between the bottom edge of the mirror and the top edge of a hanging point/hole. With the measuring tape, measure the same distance up from the line you drew on the wall. Draw second line at that height, making sure it’s the same length and parallel to the first.
4. Use a strip of masking tape on a backed mirror with 2 hanging points. Larger mirrors often have 2 hanging points on the back, which can make it difficult to accurately measure and space out the hardware. An easy way to measure is to take a piece of masking tape and lay it horizontally across the 2 hooks on the back of the mirror. Use a pen to mark where the 2 hooks are under the tape, then peel off the tape and place it on your wall, along the second line.
Once the tape is placed on the wall, you can start installing the hardware. You can keep the tape on the wall while you install, then peel it off once you’re done!
If the mirror only has 1 hanging point, measure from the side of the mirror to the center of the hanging point. Measure the same distance on the wall, along the second line. With a pencil, mark where the hanging point will go.
Part 3 Hanging an Unbacked Mirror.
1. Use brackets to hang heavy unbacked mirrors. You’ll need 2 J brackets for the bottom, with a cradle wide enough for the thickness of your mirror, and 2 sliding J brackets for the top.
2. Install a row of 3-4 J-hooks along the bottom line drawn on the wall. Use as many hooks as you need to support the mirror’s weight. Evenly space them out and install them with sturdy hollow-wall fasteners for wallboard or plaster, wood screws for wall framing, or masonry anchors if you’re fastening the hooks to brick or concrete.
You may also want to pad the J-hooks with pieces of felt to protect the back of the mirror.
You can also use a single J-shaped metal strip called a J-strip. You should pad this piece as well.
3. Mark where the sides of mirror will sit on the wall. Use a level and a pencil to draw 2 lines on the wall, indicating the length of the mirror’s sides. They should extend upward, both at a right angle to the bottom horizontal line.
4. Install 2-3 L- or Z-clips along the drawn vertical lines on the wall. Following the same intervals as the bottom J-hooks, loosely attach additional fasteners that will keep the mirror in place. Choose L- or Z-clips based on the mirror’s design, then screw them into the wall. Keep the screw loose so the front side that will rest against the mirror is loose as well.
Since these clips won’t support the mirror’s weight, you only need light-duty fiber or plastic anchors called wall plugs to install them.
Pad the L- and Z-clips with adhesive-backed felt where they’ll touch the glass.
5. Slide the mirror into place and tighten the clips to keep it secure. Move the side fasteners out of the way before setting the mirror’s bottom edge into the J-hooks. Lift the mirror by the sides and tilt it backward against the wall, then tighten the L- or Z-clips just enough to hold the mirror firmly.
Part 4 Hanging a Backed/Framed Mirror.
1. Use monkey hooks to hang a heavy mirror if you don’t have any tools. These thin, minimal-damage hooks make it easy to hang a mirror that weighs up to 35 pounds (16 kg) on drywall. They don’t even require any tools to install besides a tape measure and a pencil! Just push and twist the hook to insert it into the wall.
The best part is that monkey hooks only leave a tiny, nail-sized hole behind, instead of a big anchor hole.[15]
If your mirror weighs more than 35 pounds (16 kg), try upgrading to gorilla hooks. They have the exact same design and installation style, and they can handle up to 50 pounds (23 kg).
These tap-in hooks are perfect for hanging on drywall.
2. Use plastic wall anchors for a variety of sizes and weight capacities. Although these create a larger hole in the wall than the monkey hooks, they still do less damage than anchor holes and they’re much easier to install. Choose your size and weight capacity based on how large and heavy your mirror is. To install, simply screw the hooks into the wall!
3. Use a toggle bolt if you don’t have a wall stud to drill into. Anchoring with a wall stud is the best method, but if you can’t locate a wall stud or it’s not available, toggle bolts are your next best bet. Drill a hole in the wall large enough for the toggle bolt, then thread a machine screw through the toggle bolt nut. Pinch the wings on the toggle bolt flat, then push it into the hole you drilled in the wall. Tighten the bolt with a screwdriver until it hits the back of the wall.
To finish, hang the mirror’s hooks on the toggle bolt and use a level to make sure everything’s straight.
Toggle bolts work best for hanging heavy mirrors on plaster walls.
To save time, use a toggle bolt already fitted with a picture-hanging hook.
If you have house-guests, you want to welcome them by making your home as lovely as possible. This usually involves cleaning, meal-planning, and decorating the guest room. Add a little something extra to your guest bathroom by acquiring good towels and decorating them to match your style. With these directions, you will learn how to fold towels attractively, and add additional decorations or imagery, to make them complement the welcoming air of your home.
Method 1 Folding Towels Decoratively.
1. Start with high-quality towels. The best towels are 100% cotton and feel heavy when you pick them up. If it’s important to you, pick out towels that echo colors in your bathroom, or add a pleasing pop of color. For instance, if the bathroom has black and white tiling, a leaf-green towel would stand out in a pretty way.
2. Launder the towels before use. For all these projects, you want your towels to be as clean and stable as possible. Wash the towels to see if any fading or shrinkage occurs. Use warm water and mild detergent, and avoid fabric softener or dryer sheets.
3. Make a towel fan. If you’re just getting started with decorative folding, a hand towel fan on top of a plain bath towel is easy and pretty. To start, fold the bath towel in half lengthwise, then fold it into thirds in the opposite direction. It should make a plump square shape. Next, take the hand towel and fold it lengthwise into one-inch accordion pleats. Crease the pleated towel in half so it makes a v-shape, lay it on top of the bath towel, and tease the ends apart to it to create a fan shape.
4. Try a towel pocket. If you have a towel rack in the bathroom, you can level up. Combine a bath, hand, and face towel into one attractive package by folding the hand towel into a pocket shape and placing the washcloth inside it.
Start by folding a bath towel into thirds lengthwise.
Place it on the rack with the rod in the middle, so both sides hang down equally.
Lay a hand towel on the floor with the right side up and tag side down.
Fold the bottom up so it reaches halfway up the towel, then fold the bottom edge down again so it’s level with the first fold. This makes a kind of “shelf” shape.
Flip the hand towel over, so the shelf faces down.
Fold the hand towel into folds vertically. It should be in more of a sausage-shape now, with a pocket running along the bottom edge.
Lay the hand towel over the bath towel so the pocket hangs down in front.
Fold a face towel into a mini-fan, then tuck it into the pocket.
5. Make a swan. Are you feeling fancy? Use origami techniques to fold a big bath towel into a swan. This is especially nice if you have two guests in the same room, as you can set the swans on the bed so that they are looking at each other.
Lay a towel so the long side is horizontal.
Take the top two corners, and fold them towards each other. Now the towel will be in a pentagon shape, with a point at the top. The short sides should lay against each other.
Roll each of the top diagonal edges towards one another. This should turn the towel into a rolled arrow shape.
Take the head of the arrow and bend it back towards the tails of the arrow. Then bend the tip of it down. In profile, this will look like a Z-shape.
(Opt.) Fold a washcloth into a fan and put it between the “wings” for a tail.
Method 2 Adding Appliques and Accents.
1. Sew on decorative hems. If you have towels with plain indented borders (sometimes called a dobby weave), then you can stitch on a thin line of contrasting fabric. This makes a subtle and pretty decoration, uses up fabric scraps, and is easy to do.
Prewash the towels and the fabric you’re using. Otherwise, when you wash them, they might pucker strangely.
Cut two one-inch strips of fabric the width of a towel, adding an extra inch in length for seam allowance.
Using an iron, turn over a quarter-inch of fabric at the short sides of the rectangles. Then turn over another half-inch and iron again. This should give neat finished edges to the sides of the decorative strip.
Now turn over a quarter-inch of fabric along the length of both sides of a strip. This should result in a half-inch strip of folded fabric.
Pin the fabric to the plain border on one side of the towel with the right side be facing out. The fabric should be right in the middle of the plain border--probably a quarter inch from each edge, if it’s a standard one-inch border. Use a seam gauge to make sure the fabric is straight.
Whipstitch the cloth neatly to the towel along each edge.
2. Add pre-made decorative accents. If you don’t have any scrap fabric to add to the towel, you can go out and purchase decorative trims instead. When looking at trims, it’s best to choose ones that are sturdy and made of the same fabric composition as your towels, so the towels will be easy to wash. Of course, you still need to pre-wash trims and towels before application.
Cording is a simple, narrow trim. It should be easy to attach with a single whipstitch.
Rickrack is a zig-zagging trim that adds a retro or rural charm to towels.
Lace can be fancy or homey. Whatever style you choose, sturdy cotton lace, like eyelet or Cluny, is best. Avoid anything too delicate.
3. Embroider your towels. If you have a lot of experience with machine embroidery, you can apply this knowledge to your guest towels. If you don’t know how to machine embroider, towels are probably not the best medium to learn on. Cross-stitch is very doable, however.
Start with towels with an embroiderable inset, which are available at well-stocked craft or embroidery stores. Pick up a few colors of cotton embroidery thread and a pack of embroidery needles, as well.
Find a pattern you like. You can find patterns in books, but they’re also available on cross-stitch sites, or DIY and social media sites like Pinterest.
Transfer the pattern to the towel’s embroiderable section, and cross stitch away. Make sure to tie knots off securely, since you’ll be running the towels through the wash.
4. Apply an applique. If you want to monogram your towels, or customize them with a simple shape like a heart or star, think about applique. With this technique, you apply a contrasting fabric patch to the towel and stitch it down securely. It requires a bit more patience, but the results are worth it. You’ll need decorative cotton fabric, fusible interfacing, tailor’s chalk, and a needle and thread.
Prewash both the towel and the fabric you want to apply. This will save the finished design from weird bunching and puckering.
Find a stencil for a letter or shape that appeals to you.
Peel the backing off the interfacing, then lay the wrong side of the cotton fabric against the bumpy side of the interfacing. Run a hot iron along the right side of the cotton fabric. This should make the interfacing stick to the fabric, strengthening it.
Trace your chosen shape onto the right side of fabric, using the tailor’s chalk.
Using a sewing machine or a needle and thread, make a running stitch on top of the traced lines. This will help stabilize them.
Cut out the letter or shape, being careful to cut close to the stabilizing stitches.
Pin the shape to the towel in the correct place. Satin stitch around the edge to attach it.
Method 3 Bleaching and Dyeing.
1. Use bleach or dye to stencil. If you like the idea of a big simple shape to decorate the towel, but don’t want to sew, you can stencil a shape on instead. You’ll need a stencil, tape, spray bottle, and dye or bleach that will contrast with your towel’s color. (In general, use dye for light towels, and bleach for dark ones.)
Pick out a stencil you like. You can print shapes onto cardstock and then cut around the edge to make a stencil, if you don’t have a pre-made stencil that excites you.
Tape your stencil to the towel.
Fill a spray bottle with fabric dye or undiluted clothing bleach.
Spray bleach or dye through the stencil.
Wait a few minutes for the chemicals to develop on the towel. If you want a stronger color, spray more on.
Wash the towel after the stencil dries. Be careful not to wash it with anything that could be damaged by extra bleach or dye.
2. Bleach-paint an image. If you want even more control over the imagery on the towel, you can use clothing bleach to paint on a word or design. This creates a beautiful and artsy appearance, and it’s quite easy. You’ll need chalk, gloves, bleach, a paintbrush, and dark-colored towels.
Sketch out your design in chalk.
Put on your gloves. Now, using a paintbrush or foam brush, apply fabric bleach to the fabric on top of the chalk. You may have to wiggle the brush to drive the bleach into the pile of the towel.
Let the bleach develop, then wash the towel.
Breathe safe! If you’re working with bleach, make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area, wear gloves, and take breaks if you feel woozy.
3. Add an ombre border. You can achieve a trendy image by dip-dying the tips of a towel. You’ll need light-colored towels, RIT dye, gloves, salt, a hanger, newspapers, and a bucket or tub that you can stain with no repercussions.
Put on the gloves, so you don’t end up with purple hands.
Prepare a dye bath according to the package directions. This may require a surprising amount of table salt.
Wet the towel. Fold it in half and hang it over the hanger so that both ends are even.
Dip the tips of the towel into bath, and let them soak for 5-10 minutes.
Hang the towel to dry with its ends positioned over a pad of newspapers (to avoid staining the floor). Don’t let the dyed parts touch anything.
Wash the towel according to the dye’s package directions.
4. Tie-dye the towel. For extra fun for young guests, tie-dyed towels are great. This is a project with an improvisational flavor, so you can even invite kids to help. You will need light-colored towels, rubber bands, a tie-dye kit, newspapers, and a bucket or tarp.
Use the rubber bands to create a base pattern for the towel--there will be white stripes wherever the bands were. Bind the towel into sections for a striped design, or pull and tie off small corners to make starbursts.
Get the towel wet in the sink, then squeeze out excess water.
Place the towel in a bucket or on a tarp and squirt dye onto it. Don’t be dainty--it’s more fun if it’s colorful.
Carefully remove the bands from the towel (you might want to wear gloves for this step), and let the towel dry flat on a thick pad of newspapers.
Wash according to the kit’s directions.
Tips.
Recycle fabrics for this project.
Avoid metallic trims, as they do not launder well.
Use towels as gifts or for sale at a fundraisers.
Use the same techniques to decorate tea towels.
Towel folding is influenced by origami, the Japanese art of paper-folding, but the flexible, thick qualities of towels make them quite different from paper. There’s a bit of a learning curve, so don’t give up!
Warnings.
Use caution with hot or sharp tools, such as an irons, scissors, and needles.
Things You'll Need : Plain towels, Decorative fabric, Seam gauge, Tape Measure, Scissors, Needle, Matching thread.
Common pins, Sewi, Fusible interfacing, Bleach, Spray bottle, Paintbrush, Patterns and stencils.
