Ages: 3 months and up

When the bath is all through, offer your own bare little cub this cozy hooded towel -- it might just get him out of the water without a whole lot of growling! Our simple design is not only charming, it requires a minimal amount of sewing.

Materials
Clean, dry washcloth
Tape measure and ruler
Scissors
Straight pins
Clean, dry bath towel
Sewing needle and very strong thread

Step 1: Begin by cutting a 2-1/2-inch-wide strip from one end of the washcloth. Set the strip aside.

Step 2: Center the remaining washcloth, with the cut side up, at the top of one long side of the towel, overlapping them by about 1/2 inch. Pin it in place and then sew (we used a simple whipstitch).

Step 3: To form the hood, fold the washcloth in half vertically. Pin together the top edges and then sew them in place. Be sure to insert the needle about 1/2 inch in from the edge so that the cloth won't fray. Turn the hood inside out.

Step 4: To make the ears, cut the ends off the strip of washcloth as shown above. Cut a 1-inch-long slit into the ufinished corner of each square.

Step 5: Overlap the edges of that cut as shown, so that the square is now concave. Pin it to the hood.

Step 6: Repeat for the other ear, checking that the two triangles are spaced evenly on each side of the seam and toward the front of the hood. Sew them in place.