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Watch the video: “How to Embroider a Tea Towel” by Sterlings Style daily vlogs.
If you’ve ever wanted a quick, giftable project that looks boutique-level but feels totally doable, this tea towel tutorial is your sign to start. In under an afternoon, you’ll prep, place, hoop, stitch, and reveal a crisp, custom towel—perfect for your kitchen or as a heartfelt gift.
What you’ll learn
- How to prep a 100% cotton tea towel for clean, puckering-free embroidery
- A simple folding method that makes bottom-corner placement a no-brainer
- Hooping with stabilizer and using a light basting spray for a steady stitch-out
- Finishing the back neatly and showing off the final design
Gather Your Materials and Tools The video centers on a simple, satisfying setup—no fancy extras required. You’ll see the creator use a 100% cotton tea towel (28x28 in), an iron, an embroidery hoop with stabilizer, and a light basting spray, then take the hooped project to the embroidery machine to stitch a festive “Happy Valentine’s Day” design.
What you’ll need
- 100% cotton tea towel (the presenter mentions options from EAT SUPPLY)
- Iron and ironing board
- Embroidery hoop
- Stabilizer (tear-away or medium-weight cut-away; the presenter used cut-away)
- Marking tool (such as a pen and hoop grid/ruler)
- Spray N Bond basting adhesive (used in the video)
- Embroidery machine and thread
Choosing the Right Tea Towels The towel used is cotton and generously sized, which helps it lay flat and take stitches well. Cotton towels also wash and wear nicely, making them ideal for daily kitchen use or gifting. If you’re making a seasonal design, cotton takes color beautifully and showcases lettering crisply.
A quick look at the setup shows how approachable this project can be—just the basics on an ironing board, with supplies within reach.
Pro tip If you’re brand new to machine embroidery, choose a simple design, test on a scrap, and then move to your towel. It’s the fastest way to build confidence without pressure. embroidery machine for beginners
Preparing Your Tea Towel for Embroidery Washing, Drying, and Ironing Start by washing and drying your tea towel. This helps minimize any future shrinkage and relaxes the fibers so your stitches sit smoothly. Next, iron the towel flat. The video emphasizes a crease-free surface for the neatest results.
Watch out Any leftover wrinkles can turn into puckers after stitching. Take a minute now to iron thoroughly, especially around the area where your design will land.
The Perfect Fold: Ensuring Design Placement The creator folds the towel lengthwise and presses the crease, then folds lengthwise again (and presses), building clear guides that make bottom-corner placement straightforward later. These folds also help you identify which side to embroider so the design displays correctly when the towel is hung.
Here’s the gist of the fold-and-check flow you’ll see in the video:
- Fold lengthwise; press.
- Fold lengthwise again; press.
- Use these creases as alignment guides.
- Identify the side that will display the design at the bottom when the towel is hung.
Quick check Before hooping, confirm you’re embroidering on the side that will show when the towel is folded for display. It’s easy to flip by accident—this tiny pause can save your project.
The video also shows paying attention to the towel’s seam. The seam helps you confirm orientation so the design ends up on the intended bottom portion.
From the comments There aren’t posted viewer comments to quote for this video, but common beginner questions often revolve around design placement. The folds shown here are your best friend—treat them as built-in rulers.
Hooping and Stabilizing for Success Selecting and Hooping Your Stabilizer The presenter mentions that you may use tear-away, but she used a medium-weight cut-away because that’s what she had on hand. Either can work for tea towels. Hoop the stabilizer alone first, tightening the hoop so it’s taut and smooth.
Marking the Center for Precision Use a marking tool with your hoop’s grid or a ruler to mark the exact center on the hooped stabilizer. This center mark is your alignment target for the towel folds—crucial for centered lettering or motifs.
Using Basting Adhesive for Secure Placement The video uses Spray N Bond basting adhesive. Spray a light, even coat onto the hooped stabilizer, keeping safety in mind—do not breathe the spray and work in a ventilated area. Align the towel so its folds meet the marked center, then press the towel onto the stabilizer.
Watch out Over-spraying can make removal tougher and leave residue. Less is more here—just enough to hold without sliding.
If you notice a misalignment as you place the towel, gently peel and re-set before the adhesive fully grabs. Smooth from the center outward to keep the surface flat.
Optional gear note The video shows a standard hoop. If you prefer alternatives (not shown in the video), some embroiderers use a magnetic embroidery hoop for light projects like towels to reduce fabric distortion. Choose what you’re comfortable with and always test first.
The Embroidery Process Setting Up Your Machine Attach the prepared hoop to your embroidery machine. Select your design—here, the creator stitched “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Confirm thread color and orientation, then begin stitching. The machine runs the design while the towel stays secured to the hooped stabilizer.
Monitoring the Stitching Keep an eye on the stitching so you can pause if you spot issues like thread breaks or a color mismatch. The video shows smooth stitching forming clean text—neatness here is a combination of ironing, accurate folding, careful placement, and a firmly hooped stabilizer.
Pro tip If your thread ever snaps, stop, re-thread, and continue from your last good point. Most machines make it simple to back up a few stitches to overlap and secure the line.
Side note for tool-curious readers While not used in the video, some crafters like magnetic hoops for embroidery machines to make floating towels quicker. Others swear by mighty hoops for thicker items. These are optional accessories—try them when you’re ready to expand your toolkit.
Finishing Your Embroidered Tea Towel Removing from the Hoop and Trimming Stabilizer After stitching, remove the hoop from the machine, then unhoop the towel. If you used cut-away like the presenter, trim the excess stabilizer on the back carefully with small scissors. Take your time—getting close to the stitching without nicking the towel yields a cleaner finish.
The presenter notes that tear-away might remove a bit more cleanly for towels, but cut-away still works—just trim neatly and avoid cutting the fabric.
Creative Ways to Use Your Custom Tea Towel In the video, the design lands beautifully at the bottom of one side—perfectly positioned for display when folded. These personalized towels are lovely for holidays, weddings, or everyday kitchen flair. The presenter even mentions using a towel as a soft burp cloth—proof that an embroidered towel can be both practical and sweet.
Ideas to spark your next stitch-out
- Seasonal sayings for holidays and gifting
- Names or “Family Kitchen” designs
- Minimal monograms for a clean, timeless look
From the video’s reveal: it’s all about that crisp fold and neat bottom placement—small details that make the towel look “store-bought” in the best way.
Pro Tips and Troubleshooting Avoiding Common Pitfalls
- Wrinkling: Iron thoroughly before every major step (folds, placement) to reduce puckers later.
- Orientation mix-ups: Use the seam and folds to confirm the “display” side before stitching.
- Over-adhesive: Spray lightly. If you overdo it, allow the adhesive to settle and gently re-place, or plan to wash afterward per product directions.
Quick check Is your towel centered over the hoop’s marked center? Do the fold lines match your hoop grid? These easy checks prevent off-center designs.
Care and Maintenance
- Stabilizer cleanup: Trim cut-away close to the stitching; tear-away can be removed more easily if that’s what you used.
- Adhesive safety: Spray away from your face and in a ventilated area. The video explicitly warns not to breathe basting spray.
- Post-stitch pressing: If the towel still shows hoop marks or light creasing, a gentle press on the fabric (avoiding heavy pressure on raised stitches) can help it lie flatter.
From the comments This video does not include posted comments, but common beginner FAQs include stabilizer choice and hooping ease. The video shows that either tear-away or cut-away can work. Hooping stabilizer first and then adhering the towel is a beginner-friendly method that prevents tugging the towel fabric too tight.
Gift it, use it, love it Embroidered tea towels deliver instant charm, whether you’re sprucing up your own kitchen or wrapping a last-minute gift. The key is a clean prep, careful folds, and a secure hoop. Once you master those, you can swap in different phrases and motifs year-round.
Optional accessories you might explore later Not in the video, but helpful to know as your embroidery journey grows:
- snap hoop monster: A popular style some embroiderers use for quicker placement on flat items.
- magnetic embroidery frames: Another category people try when they want to speed up hooping.
- embroidery hoop machine techniques: Learning different hooping strategies helps when you switch fabrics and project types.
FAQ What kind of tea towels are best for embroidery? The video favors 100% cotton towels, 28x28 inches, like those from EAT SUPPLY, because they’re versatile and easy to work with.
Do I need to wash and iron my tea towel first? Yes. The presenter recommends washing and drying first, then ironing flat for crisp results.
Which stabilizer should I use? Either tear-away or cut-away can work for tea towels. The presenter used medium-weight cut-away in the video.
Is spray adhesive necessary? You could hoop the fabric directly, but the video demonstrates a light basting spray (Spray N Bond) to keep the towel from shifting.
How do I center my design? Mark the center on your hooped stabilizer, then align the towel folds to that mark before pressing in place.
Safety reminder The video specifically warns not to breathe in the basting spray; use it carefully and in a ventilated space.
Giveaway note The video mentions a time-limited giveaway for one finished towel (“Happy Valentine’s Day”) plus one blank towel. The exact timeline isn’t specified here; treat any giveaway details in the original upload context.
One last nudge: when in doubt, re-press the folds, re-check the hoop center, and keep your adhesive light. Small habits, big results. magnetic hoops for embroidery