Cotton tea towels do have a tendancy to shrink quite a bit -- at least in my experience. :oops: It would be a good idea to prewash them. As far as the rick-rack is concerned, because you're using red, it might be a good idea to test it's colorfastness since red anything is known to bleed. You should have no problem washing hand-embroidered tea towels. My mother used to make them all the time, and they held up wonderfully. :wink: