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To make a towel bag that folds into a backpack, choose between sewing a fabric panel onto one towel or turning a hand towel into a pocket attached to a larger towel. The fabric-panel method adds a flap and room for small extras; the hand-towel method avoids cutting and hemming the main towel. Keep each pattern’s measurements and assembly steps together rather than mixing them.
Choose a towel-backpack design
| Feature | Fabric-panel backpack | Hand-towel pocket backpack |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | A fabric panel is sewn onto one towel along three sides, leaving a flap. | A hand towel is made into a pocket and attached to a larger towel. |
| Closure | Hook-and-loop tape on the flap. | The folded towel tucks into the pocket. |
| Straps | Made from coordinating fabric. | Cotton webbing sewn to the hand towel. |
| Cutting and hemming | Requires cutting several fabric pieces. | Designed to avoid cutting and hemming the towels. |
| Finished size or capacity | SewCanShe gives an approximate finished size of 17 inches tall by 15 inches wide and describes room for small extras such as a water bottle, goggles, or snacks. SewCanShe | The Craftaholics tutorial does not state a finished size or describe capacity for extras. Craftaholics Anonymous |
The instructions below describe the fabric-panel design. For the simpler pocket construction, follow the separate method in the next section.
Method 1: Sew a fabric panel onto a towel
Gather supplies and cut the fabric
This pattern is from SewCanShe, whose tutorial was updated April 25, 2026. Its quantities and finished dimensions are pattern specifications, not tested load or performance ratings.
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- One beach towel or large bath towel
- One yard of coordinating cotton fabric
- Four inches of hook-and-loop tape
- One large safety pin
- A curved corner ruler or a template with a three-inch radius
- Two fabric strips measuring 4 by 26 inches
- Two rectangles measuring 18 by 16 inches
- Two rectangles measuring 8 by 16 inches
- One strip measuring 3 by 8 inches
Use the measurements as a set; the tutorial’s pattern relies on these pieces for its panel, flap, and straps. The complete photo instructions and fold-up directions are in SewCanShe’s beach towel backpack tutorial.
#1 Best Overall
- 2-in-1 BACKPACK IN SECONDS – Integrated drawcord channels cinch the cloth into a roomy daypack, freeing your hands for sunscreen and snacks; unroll to full 71 × 39 in coverage for lounging or picnics.
Assemble the straps, panel, and flap
- Make the straps and panel from the cut fabric pieces, following the SewCanShe pattern sequence.
- Attach the hook-and-loop tape to the towel and flap where the pattern specifies, so the flap can close over the packed towel.
- Center the completed panel on the towel.
- Sew around the panel’s three sides, keeping the flap edge open. Backstitch at the towel’s top edges to reinforce those attachment points.
- Use the tutorial’s fold-up instructions or video to fold the towel and tuck it into the sewn panel.
Towel layers can be bulky under a sewing machine. SewCanShe notes that a walking foot, also called an even-feed foot, may help move thick layers more evenly; it is optional, not a requirement.
Method 2: Make a pocket from a hand towel
This is a separate pattern from Craftaholics Anonymous, published July 15, 2013. It uses a large towel, a hand towel, and 20 inches of cotton webbing; do not substitute the fabric-panel measurements above.
Rank #2
- 2-in-1 BACKPACK IN SECONDS – Integrated drawcord channels cinch the cloth into a roomy daypack, freeing your hands for sunscreen and snacks; unroll to full 71 × 39 in coverage for lounging or picnics.
- Cut the webbing into the lengths and position it on the hand towel as shown in the Craftaholics Anonymous tutorial.
- Sew the short webbing pieces to the hand towel to form the straps.
- Fold and sew the hand towel into a pocket.
- Attach that pocket to the larger towel.
- Fold the larger towel and tuck it into the pocket for carrying.
The source characterizes the project as quick, but its time estimate is the tutorial author’s claim, not an independently tested duration. Its appeal is that the towel-pocket construction avoids cutting and hemming the towels.
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Related variation: a towel bag with a zippered pouch
Utah State University Extension describes a related beach-bag towel variation with a zippered pouch and suggests 30 inches of one-inch webbing for a strap. That is a bag-style alternative, not a third set of instructions for either backpack pattern above: Utah State University Extension’s Beach Bag Towel. An older drawstring-casing variation from Elle Belle Creative specifies 66-inch drawstring lengths; see its distinct pattern at Elle Belle Creative.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
- 2-in-1 BACKPACK IN SECONDS – Integrated drawcord channels cinch the cloth into a roomy daypack, freeing your hands for sunscreen and snacks; unroll to full 71 × 39 in coverage for lounging or picnics.
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