Sunglasses, a book, sunscreen, and money are necessary items for a day at the beach. A convenient way to hold them all is by adding pockets to the bottom of a beach towel. It's simple to make: Fold up the short end of the towel, and sew to create four pockets for your essentials. Ribbons stitched to the outside of the towel make a convenient tie and straps. When you're ready for the beach, fill the pockets with a few necessities, fold the towel in half lengthwise, roll it up toward the straps, and tie it closed.

Tools and Materials
Beach towel
Tape measure
Pins
Thread
Scissors
Grosgrain ribbon, preferably acetate or heavy-duty cotton twill
Beach essentials, such as a coin purse, sunglasses, and sunscreen

Roll-Up Beach Towel How-To
1. To make the pockets, lay the towel out flat. Fold up one of the short sides of the towel so that it measures 4 1/2 inches. Pin together the outer edges.

2. Find the center of the folded part of the towel, and mark it with a pin.

3. Find the center of each half, and mark it with a pin. Now the folded part of the towel is divided into four sections, which will be the four pockets of your roll-up beach towel.

4. By hand or with a sewing machine, sew the pockets of the towel, making five vertical seams. Double-stitch each seam.

5. To make the straps and tie, cut two 30-inch pieces of ribbon and one 26-inch piece.

6. Lay the towel on your work surface, right side up, so that the pockets are at the top. Double-stitch the midpoints of the two 30-inch ribbons to the bottom short edge of the towel. The ribbons should be perpendicular to that edge so that one is 4 inches in from left-hand corner and the other is 4 inches left of center. Form a U with the third ribbon. Turn ribbon ends under, and double-stitch them to the towel edge at the points where the other two strips were sewed.