I want to give all my kids monogramed towels for Christmas! I have a wonderful machine that will whip them out. PROBLEM is - I don't have a clue where to start. What kind of stabalizer do I need for botton. Do I need stabalizer for the top? What to use? Color? Color of thread for bobbin? Should it match the color of the towel? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I don't embroider, but I saw a demonstration, and they used a wash away stabilizer on top of the towels to keep the stitches from disappearing into the nap of the towels. This was in addition to a tear away on the back.

I would use a mid weight cutaway for the bottom and a water soluable over the top, bobbin thread is usually white or black 70wt, it blends in with almost anything and isn't really noticed.
what machine do you have? I have a Singer Futura

You need a wash away on the top and bottom to keep the thread from being lost in the knap.

I was told to use tear away on the bottom and wash away on the top at the Janome Dealer. I haven't done it yet, but I want to try. Actually, I havent even tried to do any embroidery yet, I think I am too scared too.LOL It looks so easy when you see it done, but the placement of things worries me. If you figure it out, let me know!

thats about it for towels, just don't get a super heavy velour or nap

Tear away stabilizer has a tendency to wrinkle when it gets wet. Obviously, a towel will get wet at sometime.

Regardless of what a Janome dealer tells you, and before you get upset, I sold and held classes on Janome embroidery machines and love them, use wash away on both sides, you'll be happier with the results.

Gosh,I would never get upset when someone makes a suggestion to do things that are new to me. !! Ill take all the help I can get!! Years ago I used the tear away for something I was stitching, and I hated it because it was so stiff when finished, so wash away sounds good to me. And now I know who to ask when I need help.LOL Thanks!!

It would be my suggestion to use two sheets of water Soluable on the bottom for a bit more stability. Then one on top to keep stitches from going down into towell.

I was told to use the wash away on top and a cut away on bottom. The embroidery was stiff that's for sure. I don't know what it's like after many washings, they weren't mine. My question is if you use wash away on the bottom, when it washes away what holds the stitches after heavy use. Does the stablizer that is "caught" bewteen the stitches not washed away, therefore keeping the stitches in place. I've done very little embroidery. I thought I would really like doing it but so far I haven't caught the bug. I love to piece so haven't taken the time to get to know all the ends and outs of machine embroidery work.