I am doing embroidery on dish towels the cheese cloth kind. They are thin. Should I stabilize the fabric first? I have seen ones that haven't and ones that have. Started one kinda hard, can't pull thread snug. Help!!!

I would stabilize them if they are thin.

If there is only line stitching (like redwork) I don't always stabilize. Sometimes I just starch the fabric very stiff :wink:

If the design is not redwork, I always use stabilizer, the more dense the design, the heavier the stabilizer I use :D:D:D

I'd stabilize them and I'd porbably use a tearaway stabilizer.

starch sounds like it may work

I recommend stitching as usual, then iron on interfacing to cover the back side of the stitching (just an idea). I just stitched through the dish towel and left my stitching on the back for all to see when I gave embroidered towels to my DIL and DS and SILs.

Thank you for all the help!!! I think I will stabilize them. I knew I could count on help. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have discovered Transfer-Eze and it is god send to the hand embroiderer. You can find it at some quilt stores and on line. Believe me you won't every go back to any other way of copying a pattern because not only does it transfer the pattern it makes the piece more stable

When I do Towels I use a wash a way stabilizer. You should aways use a stabilizer all the time when you are embroidery. I even use one on the bottem and one on top to make the embroidery stand up better. hope this helps you