DIY Beach Towel Bag

This DIY Beach Towel Bag can be sewn in less than fifteen minutes and is an easy way to carry all your necessities to the water park or beach!

The hot summer weather calls for regular trips to the water park, splash pad and the community pool. Anything to keep cool, right? 

Summers here in Phoenix tend to get a little wild once we hit July and August. Temps skyrocket to 110 degrees and sometimes even as high as 118 … yikes right??!  Those temps make the summer splash pad our daily destination.

We recently found a new splash pad here in our area that has my kids throwing on swimwear every day so we can get wet.

With five kids though, a trip to the splash pad or water park means a lot of “stuff”. Towels, suits, extra clothing, swim diapers, flip flops, slip on shoes and even sun hats. You can’t ever be too prepared – right? I know I try to have everything I need and more just  in case we ever get in a pinch.

This DIY Beach Towel Bag is the perfect carry-all device for all that stuff. Sling  it over your shoulder, wear it as a knapsack, or wear it over your chest and carry everything together.

At least attempt to be organized – right?!

DIY  Beach  Towel Bag

This bag comes together quickly and easily with things you can pick up at your local department store. Our local Walmart has a 2 pk of beach towels for just $10. Use one to make this DIY Beach Towel Bag or make two and have one as a back-up.

You’ll need:

• sewing machine
• sewing machine needle (80/12 or 90/14)
• 1 large beach towel (Walmart has them 2/$10 – check your store!)
• clothesline rope 

I was able to pick up clothesline rope at my local grocery store in the laundry section. A single roll was just $2.00 and was enough to make two of these beach towel bags.

Lay the towel out horizontally on a flat surface. You want to fold over each of the short and sew down each side, allowing for a 3″ pocket. Use a straight stitch and backstitch at the beginning and end.

Repeat  on the other side, taking care to sew the pocket on the same side as the first pocket.

Fold the towel in half, keeping the newly sewn pockets on the outside.   Line up the edges of the towel as best as you can.

Next, you are going to put the tabs (clothesline rope loops) in on bag.  Cut two separate but equal sized pieces of clothesline rope about 8-9″ in length.

Fold each piece and tuck into the bottom corner – you want the loop “inside” and the ends to stick out each side of the towel.

Pin each side, taking  care to pin over the area of the clothesline rope. Sew down each side, starting just below the pocket and going all the way down to the end.

Backstitch at the beginning and end, especially over the clothesline rope “tabs” you inserted on each corner.

Trim off any excess string, then flip the bag right side out. The seams for the pocket should now be on the inside, and the tabs you inserted should be visible on the outside of the bag.

You’re almost done!

With your clothesline rope, you want two pieces:

• side + top x 2 = one piece
• side + top x 2 = second piece

With those two pieces in hand, it’s time to finish the bag.

Use a safety pin to push the rope through the top pocket. Start at one side, push through the pocket, out the end, and through the next side.

Repeat that once again, but start at the opposite corner. Push through the pocket, out the end and through the next side.

Once the rope has been strung through each side, gather the ends, and tie through the loop that you sewed on your towel bag. Repeat that on the other side with the rope you strung through there as well.

You are done!

Your towel bag is now done!  You can stuff it full of beach items, then pull the top closed, and carry your bag to the beach park.

• Sling it over your shoulder.
• Carry it like a knapsack
• Or carry the bag with the rope going over your chest like a cross-bag.

It’s extra large and roomy enough to accommodate lots of towels and beach wear, while also easy to toss in the wash.