Does anyone make their own Tea Towels?

StressedSteph

Hi

It might be a weird question, but I get fed up of stained old tea towels and would love an economical way of making my own fresh supply. I wondered if there was a tea towel-ish type of material I could buy by the metre that I could cut up and machine the edges to make my own, and if anyone already does this?

I could potentially save some money and then give me a regular nice clean supply of new tea towels. I really loath to spend alot of money on them.

Thanks
Steph x

ela

Buy some good quality ones, I machine wash my tea towels daily, although they dont get a lot of hammer because of the dishwasher, I dyed them recently because I was bored of them, and still cant justify throwing them away because they are fine after 22 years of use. :-)

anguk

I'd love to make my own cheaply too, I've bought cheap one's and expensive but they all end up stained no matter how I wash them. The problem in my house is people tend to wipe their hands on them or use them to wipe the worktops! :rolleyes:

StressedSteph

I just wondered if there was anywhere that sold that material by the metre. I am sure it would work out cheaper. If it was something like £5 per metre you could make quite a few out of a metre length.

I must admit I have never invested in the expensive ones, too scared cause I know our family destroys ours on a regular basis. Like you AngUK our tea towels get used for EVERYTHING, from wiping food covered faces to wiping up mess on the table etc. :rolleyes:

I have always bought the cheap terry type checked tea towels, never the cotton ones, maybe they last better.

Primrose

I Googled "linen for tea towels" and came up with lots of addresses in India, where it seems that probably the bulk of the made-up tea towels s now come from, so I wonder if you have any Asian/Indian material stores in your area. Possibly worth checking with them to see if they have any suitable material in stock.

phizzimum

[quote=anguk;11205491._The_problem_in_my_house_is_people_tend_to_wipe_their_hands_on_them_or_use_them_to_wipe_the_worktops!_:rolleyes:[/quote]

or use them to clean up the filthy barbeque...then leave them lying on the ground in the garden...grrr!! :mad:

ifonlyitwaseasier

i recommend using nappisan to presoak them before washing. my mum does this on anything badly stained and they always come out sparkly!
i think it has a very mild bleaching agent in it as it's original use was for cleaning reusable nappies

salster

How about using really old towels that are no longer good enough for the bath.

Just one big one can be cut into many and hemmed, and are plenty absorbant as we know.

exlibris

Have you any old sheets (preferably cotton ones) Most of my tea towels and my mothers are sheets which had holes in them.

Alternatively, if you have to buy material look for cotton sheeting fents or off-cuts from places like Dunelm or markets.

jak

Ours always end up filthy and stained too, even tho I wash them on a regular basis. I wonder which are the best material to get? To make your own OR to buy?

Andy_Hamilton

I have tried loads of cheap brand tea towels but I have had these from Ikea for 8 months and they come up looking like new every time.
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70069637
Only £1.29 for 4!
[URL="javascript:popLargeImageWindow('en_GB','colour:','','Size','IKEA FAMILY member price', 'close window');"][/URL]