Embroidery on towels may look simple, but getting flawless results takes the right approach especially for beginners. If you’ve ever faced puckering, shifting fabric, or hard-to-read stitches, this guide is for you.
10 Tips for Embroidery on Towels You’ll Wish You Knew Earlier
Here are the key tips you’ll learn:
- Choose the Right Towels for Embroidery
- Pick Simple and Clear Designs
- Use Proper Stabilizers to Prevent Puckering
- Hoop Towels Carefully for Stability
- Select the Best Needles and Threads
- Transfer Designs Accurately
- Use Water-Soluble Toppers to Control Pile
- Adjust Machine Tension for Thick Fabrics
- Test Stitch Before Starting Your Project
- Finish and Care for Embroidered Towels Properly
In this blog, you’ll discover 10 expert tips that will help you avoid common mistakes and create beautifully embroidered towels with ease.
Tip #1: Choose the Right Towels for Embroidery
Not all towels are suitable for machine embroidery. Go for 100% cotton towels with a tight weave and low to medium pile. Avoid overly plush or textured towels, as they make it hard for the stitches to sit flat.
Also, choose high-quality towels that won’t fray or thin out during embroidery. This is especially important if you’re planning embroidery on towels for gifting or selling durability matters.
Tip #2: Pick Simple and Clear Designs
Intricate or overly detailed designs can get lost in the towel’s loops. Stick to bold, clear motifs with minimal small lettering or thin lines. This helps the embroidery stand out without getting buried in the fabric texture.
For embroidery towels, monograms, large floral patterns, or cartoon-style graphics work best. Avoid lightweight fill stitches or high-density designs that may sink into the loops.
You can find these types of digitized designs on our site, or if you want customized embroidered designs, you can also place your order directly with us for high-quality digitizing tailored to your needs.
Tip #3: Use Proper Stabilizers to Prevent Puckering
Towels are unstable fabrics. If you skip stabilizers or use the wrong type, puckering and design distortion will occur. Use a water-soluble topper on top and a medium-weight cut-away or tear-away stabilizer underneath.
This sandwich holds the towel steady and keeps the loops from popping through the stitches. This step is crucial, especially for machine embroidery on towels where stability impacts the final finish.
Tip #4: Hoop Towels Carefully for Stability
Hooping provides better tension and control, but towels are bulky and can be hard to fit evenly. For standard towels with medium thickness, hoop both the towel and stabilizer together, making sure the towel is taut, not stretched.
Always use the correct sized hoop and avoid over tightening to prevent hoop burn.
For thick, plush towels where hooping might leave marks or distort the fabric, the floating method is a safer choice.
Here’s how to float:
- Hoop only the stabilizer.
- Spray adhesive on the stabilizer surface.
- Gently place and press the towel onto the sticky stabilizer.
- Use pins or clips around the edges (outside the embroidery area) to add extra hold.
Floating is ideal when hooping isn’t practical, especially near towel borders or on thicker fabrics. For embroidery on towels, choosing between hooping and floating depends on the towel’s thickness and the design placement.
Tip #5: Select the Best Needles and Threads
Use a size 90/14 sharp or ballpoint embroidery needle for thick towels. A sharp tip helps pierce dense loops cleanly. For thread, go with polyester 40 wt because it’s strong, colorfast, and has a slight sheen that looks great on towels.
Avoid cotton threads, which can snap easily and get fuzzy. Matching your thread weight and needle type ensures smooth stitching and prevents skipped stitches, especially on terry cloth.
Tip #6: Transfer Designs Accurately
Marking the design placement is crucial for symmetry. Fold the towel vertically and horizontally to find the center. For border placements, fold once and measure up a specific distance (e.g., 2–3 inches from the edge).
Mark with water-soluble markers or chalk. You can also pin a printed template over the area to visualize the design position, especially useful for beach towel monogram projects.
Tip #7: Use Water-Soluble Toppers to Control Pile
Terrycloth towels have loops that can poke through stitches, ruining the look. Place a water-soluble topper over the embroidery area before stitching. It keeps the loops down and your stitches crisp.
Once done, gently rinse or steam it off. This topper is especially helpful for embroidery designs on towels with fine text or small details.
Tip #8: Adjust Machine Tension for Thick Fabrics
Incorrect tension leads to bunched stitches or visible bobbin thread. For most towels, start with a top tension of around 3.0 to 4.0 and test on a sample. If the design feels tight or puckered, lower it slightly.
If the stitches look loose or uneven, raise it a little. Keep an eye on the bobbin thread visibility, it should not show on top. Fine-tuning your settings ensures smooth stitching on towels.
Tip #9: Test Stitch Before Starting Your Project
Always do a test run on a similar towel before embroidering the final product. This helps you catch tension problems, design misalignment, or thread breakage issues early.
Many skip this step, but it’s the easiest way to prevent costly mistakes. For those doing towel embroidery commercially, this practice builds confidence and ensures consistency.
Tip #10: Finish and Care for Embroidered Towels Properly
Once stitching is complete, remove excess stabilizer gently. Trim any loose threads with sharp embroidery scissors. To finish, cover the embroidery with a pressing cloth and lightly press from the back side using a warm iron.
Avoid harsh washing for the first 24 hours. Long term care for embroidery towel projects includes washing in cold water and avoiding bleach, which can weaken thread fibers.
Conclusion: Embroidery on Towels Made Simple
Now that you’ve reached the end of this guide, you’ve learned the most important tips for towel embroidery from choosing the right materials and stabilizers to adjusting machine settings and finishing your project with care.
These tips are designed to help you avoid common mistakes and get beautiful, professional results on every towel you embroider. And when it comes to getting your designs digitized, that’s where ZDigitizing can make things even easier.
We provide high-quality embroidery digitizing and vector art services at flat rates. We offer: Fast delivery in 1–4 hours, free minor edits, lifetime design backup, 24/7 support, and safe, 3d secure payments.
Plus, first-time customers get a 50% discount a great way to try our quality with confidence.
Let ZDigitizing make your embroidery even easier. Place your order today and see the difference!
FAQs
Monograms are usually placed on the side opposite the towel’s label. For a clean and balanced look, position the monogram in the center, about 4 inches above the hem or dobby border on bath towels. This placement ensures it looks neat when the towel is folded or displayed.
For most towel projects, a 75/11 or 80/12 embroidery needle works best. These sizes are sharp enough to go through thick terry cloth without causing damage. If the towel is extra thick or dense, a 90/14 needle can also be used for better penetration.
Polyester embroidery thread is the top choice for towels. It’s strong, colorfast, and holds up well through washing and drying. Cotton thread can break more easily and may not last as long on plush fabrics, so polyester is more reliable for towel embroidery.
It depends on the type of towel. For hand towels, 3 inches tall is usually enough. Bath towels look good with a 4-inch design, while beach towels can handle up to 5 inches. Always choose a size that fits well and doesn’t overpower the towel.
The embroidery should be centered near the bottom edge. On bath towels, place it about 4 inches above the hem. For hand towels, 2 inches above the hem or border looks best. This makes the design show nicely when the towel is folded or hanging.
