Care Cloth Instructions

This idea was brought to us about two years ago by our member Helen in Scotland, who found it in a book called “Creative Kindness” and over this time we've been able to make about 200 of them already, all of which have gone to and been much appreciated by the people benefiting from THP (the Thames Homeless Project in Walton-on-Thames).
Very simply, a Care Cloth is a “plain washcloth… folded to form a pouch that… can be filled with sample toiletries like soap, toothpaste, shampoo and razors”. These are extremely simple to make, and they take very little time indeed. A sewing machine would be useful when making the Care Cloths, but is not really a necessity, if you are a neat stitcher! In addition to being easy to make, they are also very cheap – one face cloth (which come in packets in most “Pound Shops”), and a length of ribbon. Oh, and a few toiletries, if you can – but even just empty sewn Care Cloths are welcome and we will fill them up…. And here's how to make them:

Materials:
- One standard Washcloth
- 20” (51 cm) length of ¼” (0.6 cm) washable satin ribbon (colour-coordinated with cloth)
- Matching all purpose thread
- Basic personal hygiene items (toothbrush & paste, soap, comb, shampoo…)
- Basic equipment (needle, pins, scissors, fabric pen, sewing machine if possible…)

Step 1:
- Carefully remove manufacturer’s tag from the washcloth
- Turn up lower edge of the washcloth 4” (10 cm) and finger-press
- Pin along both sides, and the top edge, to prevent pocket from shifting

Step 2:
- Fold ribbon in half, insert and pin fold in right side seam 3 ½” (9cm) from lower edge, sandwiching ribbon between washcloth layers
- Using fabric pen, mark three pocket stitching lines from lower edge to fold

Step 3:
- Set up sewing machine for straight stitches (10-12 stitches per inch)
- Stitch sides, catching ribbon in right side seam. For durability, back-stitch at both ends of all lines of stitching
- Stitch along the three marked lines, to form 4 pockets
- Remove the pins

Step 4:
- Fill the pockets with basic personal hygiene items
- Roll or fold caddy from left to right, wrap the ribbon around, and tie.

Please send your finished Care Cloths, filled or unfilled, to Petra.