Jane, I use two layers of wash away - one over, one under. You just have to be very careful that all of the stabilizer is rinsed out completely or it will fill the holes in the tulle and you'll never get it out. After rinsing I usually shake it to be sure there are no remaining droplets.

I just bought a cheapie Brother PE500. Haven't done much with it yet - had to get stabilizer, white fabric (although fabric shopping can't be called a chore LOL) and have started looking for great patterns to download. I specifically got the brother for Disney designs, and I knew they would be a little expensive, but all the other patterns I'm finding are expensive too - or really crappy. Any suggestions for where to get GOOD free downloads?

Krystna,
What type of fabric do you buy for the towels?
I've got some plain flour sack towels, but I think different colors would be great.

Bigred, go to www.cuteembroidery.com. There are several areas where you can download - under Designs by Cuties - and there are many, many pages of them - and then there are links under Community-Freebies where people post links to sites that offer free designs including alphabets and design sets to collect. Brother has a few on the U.S. site, but there are tons on the Brother.ru (Russia) site. No Disney ones, though as they are licensed. You will be lost on Cuties for days! Also www.sewforum.com has an area for many embroidery downloads. You might want to look around some of the sites that have subscriptions - designsbySick is about $15 for 6 months and there are many sets to download. Myembroiderygarden is another one. Have fun!

If I'm doing decorative ones for the holidays -- like gingers or something like that, I'll use homespun plaids and finish the ends with some eyelet lace or another finish. Otherwise if you are in Joann, take a look around the utility fabric section and you'll find plenty of options. You can use monkscloth and there are also some other toweling possibilities. You can even use the fabric they have for diapers. I had been using heavy muslin at first but after you wash them them are a wrinkly mess so unless it is for something that is purely decorative, never again! Wait until you have a good coupon and you'll be able to make them for very little. I've hunted around for wholesale towels, but they are still quite pricey. I saw some with the red striping down the sides the other day but didn't pick it up. Next time maybe.

Here's a set I made for a Secret Pal

[ATTACH=CONFIG]415168[/ATTACH]

One of the Irish Recipe Towels we sold at an Irish Fair

[ATTACH=CONFIG]415169[/ATTACH]

Those towels are beautiful!
The red & white ones are my favorite.
How do the homespun plaids look after washing?

Thanks. Gosh I have no idea. I sent them to Ladybug1938. Frankly, I can't imagine using them to actually dry anything because the stitching is so dense, but they are pretty! I got the lace trim and more in some other styles at a tag sale held at a tablecloth, napkin, etc. warehouse that was closing. Got many big spools for $5 each!

Uh oh! Sale and Freebie Alert! All sets at www.theappliquehut.com are $1 and they have tons of adorable crazy quilt blocks! And for those of you who are new to their site ... there are 107 freebies to download!

Thanks for the info. I love it that everyone shares sites that are having sales or freebies!

I am seriously addicted to downloading. I was going to abstain until I stitched out more, but ... well, that didn't happen!