• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Artisan Life
  • Dot Marker Pages
  • Learning Center
  • Seasonal Printables
    • Winter Printables
    • Valentine's Day printables
    • St. Patrick's Day printables
    • Earth Day
    • Easter printables
    • Mother's Day
    • Fall printables
    • Thanksgiving Printables
    • Christmas Printables
  • Printable Calendars
  • Preschool + K
    • Alphabet Tracing Worksheets
    • Dot Marker Pages
    • Cut & Paste Crafts
    • Preschool Math
    • Fine Motor Practice Pages
    • Spanish Preschool Pages
  • Coloring Pages
  • Shop
  • Recipes
    • Healthy dessert recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Dot Marker Pages
  • Free Printables
    • Preschool worksheets
    • Free Printable Coloring Pages
    • Printable journals & planners
  • Learning Center
  • Shape Templates
  • Coloring Pages
  • St Pat's Printables
  • Desserts
  • Dot Marker Bundle
  • Shop
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Dot Marker Pages
    • Free Printables
      • Preschool worksheets
      • Free Printable Coloring Pages
      • Printable journals & planners
    • Learning Center
    • Shape Templates
    • Coloring Pages
    • St Pat's Printables
    • Desserts
    • Dot Marker Bundle
    • Shop
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Baby Printables and Toys

    Super Soft DIY Gauze Baby Washcloths

    Published: Sep 5, 2017 · Modified: Feb 4, 2025

    1212 shares
    • Share

    These super soft DIY baby washcloths are easy to make with purchased gauze or old muslin baby blankets!

    Today's post includes a tutorial for DIY gauze baby washcloths that can also double wonderfully as adult washcloths for sensitive skin. They would make a lovely present for new parents or as part of a "DIY spa" type gift set!

    Make sure to keep reading to the bottom to find out how to snag cute free printable "handmade with love" bands!

    DIY Muslin Gauze Baby Washcloth Tutorial

    This post may include affiliate links, which means I may make a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. 

    If you know me at all, it won't surprise you to learn that we've been making as much of our own baby "stuff" as possible. My husband and I are both into natural materials, handmade items, DIY, and a certain degree of minimalism.

    Just like I'm exhausted by the consumerism and commercialization surrounding so many holidays, I'm frustrated by our current society's messages that you must have these one zillion (plastic) baby items or you're a bad parent!!! If you feel the same way, check out this list of "must have" baby items you don't need!

    We would rather our child have a smaller number of high quality items s/he can truly use and appreciate and that, whenever possible, meaningfully fulfill developmental needs instead of providing 'entertainment.' You can read more about why it's so important to chose non-toxic wood toys in this post.

    That's kind of a long introduction for a tutorial, but I wanted to fill everyone in and give some background for today's project!

    Because we prefer handmade items and natural materials, I decided to make a few soft double gauze facecloths for Baby. People frequently recommend a sponge bath with a facecloth for newborns until their cord stump falls off, but we don't have any facecloths! (That probably sounds weird, but I prefer to use a hand towel. Anyway.)

    We didn't want to rush out to buy brightly colored scrub mitts or 'normal' facecloths that might be a bit rough for newborn skin, so I made these DIY easy simple baby washcloths, instead! They're cute, simple, and easy to customize with the double gauze fabric of your choice - I hope you enjoy!

    Even though you're more likely to think "terry" than "gauze" if you're shopping for washcloth or towel fabrics, double gauze is a lovely choice for this project because it's so soft!

    Actually, most of the commercially available "muslin" baby washcloths and blankets are made from gauze. If you're a bit crunchy, you may enjoy making these washcloths out of organic gauze.

    I purchased all of my gauze from Fabric.com. This isn't a sponsored post (wouldn't that be fun!), I've just been a loyal customer for years.

    Obviously you don't have to use organic fabrics, but they're a nice touch for something that will come into contact with a newborn's skin. As you can see, I got the fabrics I personally liked without worrying about whether they were 'for' a boy or girl. 🙂

    Although I'm calling these baby washcloths, they're really very multipurpose. Folded in half they can become a small burp cloth, and the light fabric means they'll fit perfectly in a bag or purse to have on hand for quick clean ups on the go. They're also nice as adult washcloths for sensitive skin or as reusable makeup remover cloths.

    Materials needed for DIY gauze baby washcloths

    • Double gauze fabric. Each washcloth is 12"x12", so I recommend getting at least ½ a yard to allow for shrinkage in the wash. For a thicker washcloth, allow a total of 12"x24" for each one.
    • An iron and ironing board
    • A rotary cutting set or a cardboard cutting mat with scissors
      • If you don't have either, then find a 12" square piece of scrapbook paper or yardstick and I'll show you what to do!
    • A serger or sewing machine & thread
    • A large, blunt needle to secure your thread, if you're serging

    DIY gauze baby washcloths tutorial

    First and foremost - wash your fabric! Yes, it may come out super wrinkly and that's annoying because then you'll have to iron it, but cotton gauze does shrink so it's very important to prewash it. I went ahead and washed all four pieces of my gauze at the same time, even though I didn't make everything into facecloths.

    • It's generally best to wash gauze either cold or warm and dry it on a low setting.
    • In case you don't know, the usual rule is to prewash and dry your fabrics at least as warm as you plan to launder the finished project. Prewashing warm and then 'actually' washing cold is great, but preaching cold and then washing the finished project warm can lead to awkward shrinkage!

    Iron your fabric. Gauze frequently gets a sweet, crinkled appearance after washing and that's great, but ironing before cutting and sewing will help ensure your washcloths are more square than 'random quadrilateral.'

    Using your rotary cutting set or cardboard cutting mat & scissors, cut your fabric into 12" squares. You'll need just one square per washcloth, so cut as many pieces as you'd like cloths. If you'd like a more luxurious washcloth, cut two squares for each.

    If you don't have a cutting mat place a 12" square piece of cardstock on your ironed fabric. You can pin it in place, trace around it, or simply hold it in place and then cut.

    Finish the edges of each cloth to prevent fraying (gauze loves to fray!) either with your serger or sewing machine. If you're using a sewing machine, you'll probably want to use wither a zig zag stitch or an overcast stitch.

    For a thicker washcloth, pin two pieces together, right sides out, and serge/stitch them simultaneously. You may want to use thread that blends in with the fabric a little better - I made these with a contrasting thread to make it easier to see for the tutorial.

    If you're using a serger, don't forget to grab a large, blunt needle and tuck that tail thread under to secure your stitching!

    Repeat until you have a stash of super cute and soft DIY gauze baby washcloths!

    DIY simple baby washcloths tutorial

    I also made a quick, newborn sized towel that's about 30"x30" by cutting two squares and serging them together, just like a larger version of the thicker washcloth. It should also work well as as an impromptu changing pad if needed.

    The free printable bands are a bit different from what's shown in the photo, but with a similar vintage, handmade feel you'll enjoy!

    free-printable-handmade-with-love-bands-natashalh.com

    You can download the PDF from Google Drive here.

    Don't lose track of this baby facecloth tutorial! Pin it to your favorite board now!

    What size should a baby washcloth be? Learn how to make these easy DIY baby washcloths! Free printable band for easy gift giving included!

    More baby tutorials and resources

    Must-have baby items you don't really need

    11 must-have baby items you don't really need (and what to use instead)

    5 things you need to know before your baby is born

    5 things you need to know before your baby is born. I really wish someone had told me these so I'd have been better prepared!

    Our Hypnobabies birth story (a pain free natural birth?!)

    pain free natural birth with Hypnobabies

    Free printable high contrast cards for babies

    free printable high contast cards for newborns

    SaveSave

    SaveSave

    SaveSave

    More Baby Printables and Toys

    • 9 Free Printable Baby Onesie Outline Templates
    • How-many-baby-blankets-do-you
      How Many Baby Blankets Do I Need?
    • The best way to make grippy socks that won't fall down! So easy and inexpensive, and better for baby than hard shoes when she's crawling or cruising.
      The Best Way to Make Grippy Socks - DIY Baby Grippy Socks
    • upcycled DIY fine motor toy for infants
      DIY Fine Motor Toy For for Infants
    1212 shares
    • Share
    text "access hundreds of printables now"

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle

      September 22, 2017 at 12:49 am

      They're really cute!

      Reply
      • Natashalh

        September 22, 2017 at 8:33 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    2. Sarah

      September 08, 2017 at 9:29 am

      These are lovely! And it's great that all is going well with you and baby. I think you may be right about affirmations. They've worked wonders for me!

      Reply
      • Natashalh

        September 08, 2017 at 2:44 pm

        Affirmations are such a great way to retrain your mind! I'm glad you've found affirmations to be helpful, too. =)

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Text "Hello! I'm Natasha!" with an image of a woman a blue shirt

    Hi, I’m Natasha! I'm so glad you're here.

    I'm a former classroom teacher with a Masters of the Arts in Teaching turned homeschooler. I share educational & planner printables for busy parents and teachers. Simplify your life when you discover how to instantly access 700+ printables here!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • text "free printable reading log trackers for kids" with a preview of two reading tracker printables
      Free Printable Reading Logs
    • text "free printable reading coloring pages" with a preview of three reading coloring pages for kids
      Free Printable Reading Coloring Pages
    • text "free printable reading log bookmarks' with a preview of two pages of printable reading bookmark
      Free Printable Reading Tracker Bookmarks
    • text "free printable emotions coloring pages for kids" with a preview of three emotions and feelings coloring pages
      Free Printable Emotions and Feelings Coloring Pages

    The Artisan Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    The Artisan Life also uses affiliate links for other sites. For a full look at my policy, please visit its page here.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Save Time

    • Join the Learning Center for quick & easy access to hundreds of printables

    Contact

    • Contact

    If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly here: natashalh(at)stalkingthewildsnark(dot)com. I do not accept guest posts and will not respond to unsolicited requests for guest posts or links. Stock images by Depositphotos

    COPYRIGHT © 2012 – 2025 The Artisan Life · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED