Saturday, 28 June 2025

Don't Throw In The Towel!

To throw in the towel means to give up, to accept defeat. It comes from the world of boxing - when a fighter cannot go on, he [or his second] throws a towel into the ring to signal the end of the bout.
I was beginning to feel a bit snowed under with sewing tasks, because I didn't have the time or energy to sew any of my own projects. But as the slime and prom dress took less time than |I thought, I was able to get the machine out for myself on Thursday. I wanted to work on a Beach Towel. 

My rules for the ideal beach towel

  • big enough to wrap right round you and cover yourself when getting changed in/out of cossie
  • not so big it won't fit easily in the beach bag
  • thick enough to dry you quickly, and keep you warm
  • long enough to cover a sunlounger
  • not shabby, but not so precious you'd be upset if an irreversible oil stain meant it had to be discarded or if it somehow got left behind on the sand
  • easy to find when you are packing for a day out
I have such a towel. Rather old, and much washed, but it meets all my criteria except I often have to sort through a stack of white towels to identify it. I spent a happy half hour on Thursday sewing two strips of pretty blue cotton from the Great Stash. I cut them and pressed the hems, then sewed them along the non-terry stripes. A simple modification, but one which will make the towel stand out among its plainer neighbours, and save time later.
Do you have a 'dedicated' beach towel?
Are you as organised as my Liz? She always keeps a "Beach Go Bag" ready, with towels, cossies, sun cream, wipes, buckets and spades etc.

20 comments:

  1. At last! Time to catch up on useful sewing for yourself! Those stylish stripes will make you smile every time for years to come.
    A ready to go bag? Moi? Non. Never!!

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    1. πŸ˜€ Not going to beach today, but will venture to the post office with my CoverStory stitching

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  2. I have a Hospital-Go-Bag and a Disaster-Go-Bag but as I never go to the beach haven’t one of those. Besides two is enough n’est pas?
    Margaret from New Zelns

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    1. I had maternity -hospital-go-bags 40 years ago. A disaster go bag is not something I've considered

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  3. The beach towel looks lovely. I have two beach towels bought from a market stall in The Cut at Waterloo when I worked at the Dept. Of Education before they moved to Westminster in the 1980s! Gosh that long ago. They are white background then lots of rainbow coloured stripes and the word "beach" just in case there was any doubt. They have been used hundreds of times and still very usable. They were not expensive but good quality and have travelled to many a beach in many countries. They match your perfect size criteria. A very good buy. I don't have a beach ready bag. Regards Sue H

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    1. Is it me, or were towels in the 80s generally better quality than now? I have a few 1979 wedding present towels still in use

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  4. I have a Minnie Mouse towel which my lifelong friend brought me back from Florida about 30 years ago! I can't bear to part with it since we lost her to pancreatic cancer 8 years ago. We'll use it this week when we go rockpool rambling (organised by local council for school holidays -paid event and then got to pay parking charges at the beach once we're there - which began yesterday).I'm going to use Liz's tip and make up a Beach Go Bag.

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    1. Oh that towel is so special. Enjoy the rock pools πŸ¦€

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  5. I'm glad you had some time to tend to your own sewing projects. I like the colorful band sewn to help you identify your beach towel more easily.
    I don't have a dedicated beach towel, partly because I rarely go to the beach. I think the last time I went was about 15 years ago! I do have a couple of "Go bags" but, they are for earthquakes or wildfires, not a trip to the beach!

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    1. Oh Bless, I cannot imagine having to keep a Disaster Go Bag ready. Praying this hot weather doesn't mean more wildfires for your area ❤️πŸ™

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  6. It’s lovely to be in demand and you don’t want to disappoint anyone by saying no, but it can be overwhelming sometimes.
    What a great idea to help identify the towel next time it’s needed. As to quality - undoubtedly much better in the past. Is anyone still using old terry nappies? I still have a couple from 1982 going strong as cleaning cloths. Charmaine

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    1. I have a box of 2 dozen pristine ones from the 1980s in the loft. I thought my girls might need them remade into modern velcro fastening reusable nappies. I shoudl get them down, they'd make great cleaning cloths!

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  7. The stripe on the towel looks very smart. I did this with some wide flowery ribbon on my bathroom towels just after we were married. There were similar ones you could buy but were so expensive. There towels lasted many years but eventually were replaced and the ribbon saved. I was looking at the replacement towels the other day and thinking they weren’t lasting as well. I still have some hand towels that were my parents!
    Our old worn towels are used by my son for drying boats for customers. He is in Cornwall and owns Mylor Boat Hire on the Falmouth estuary so has numerous boats which are always washed down for a new customer. It always makes me smile when I am there and see a row of towels I recognise hanging out to dry!
    Sue

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    1. I love that you saved the ribbon to re-use it! If I am in Cornwall and need a boat hire I will look out for Mylar!

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  8. Glad you did something for YOU!
    I DO have a beach ready bag in the Summer. In the Winter, I have a cafe ready bag (with Qwirkle in it!)
    This is a great idea. I'm still pining for my beautiful Turkish lightweight cotton beach towel mum bought for me which was accidentally left hanging up drying, along with a bikini, in Ouchy, Lausanne, Switzerland lake front park!

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    1. It has probably joined the towel my Dad left in St Johns College Oxford in 1956, the jumper Bob left in Lulworth cove in 1967, and the picnic rug I left at Wells in 2013. Its odd how we remember these mislaid items...

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  9. I have been reusing old linen tablecloths as towels. They are thin and light but very absorbant, and they dry quickly.

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    1. Before terry towelling was developed, most people had linen towels. Linen teatowels are excellent for drying glassware.

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  10. A great idea to make your beach towel stand out. No, I'm never as organised but often wish I were!
    Alison in Devon x

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  11. πŸ–️I suspect most of us just muddle through 😎

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