Where did you purchase your towels? I know this has nothing to do with the subject, just curious...lol

I got some from Dollar Tree, not a very good quality tho. I usually get them from Marshalls, TJ Maxx or anywhere that has a good bargain. I have also bought yardage and made my own. My family doesn't like the terry ones so I usually get the waffle weave. Just make sure you wash them first to get that sizing out. The embroidery machine doesn't like the sizing.

wally world $5.00 for 5

I will most defintely wash before I use, I wash everything, but I get a majority of my fabric from flea markets and antique stores...I would love to be able to buy fabric at Joanns or other LQS but funds are tight and I am trying to do what I love but stay within my spending.....and I wish I had an embroidery machine, I have a brother and I just picked up a singer that was originally bought in 1997 from sears just started using that one, still learning, but I also have three other singer machines two in the dome top cases (inherited) and one treadle, I need to get those three looked at thou..

In a pinch I have used a coffee filter as a stabilizer. It works like tear away.

never thought of that, thanks, I do appreciate all the advice I have been getting all you folks are awesome in my book...

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Well, good luck with your appliqueing. I started doing applique when my kids were little, over 40 years ago, before there were embroidery machines, stabilizers, and fusible web. I used to trace designs from the kids coloring books and applique them on the fronts of their little outfits. I just used a zigzag stitch, sometimes went over it twice to get the look I wanted. Now I'm lazy, want everything prepared for me.... :roll: :lol: :oops:

With flour sack towels, if you heavily starch (heaviest) you shouldn't need a stabilizer underneath; the fabric would be quite stiff and not distort when you sew. Of course, you would need to wash the towels afterwards to get the starch out.

But starching takes more time than applying stabilizer. Also the purpose of the stabilizer it to keep the stitches from sinking into the towel or whatever you're embroidering. Once the starch is removed you don't have that nice base for the stitching and it won't hold up as well to continual laundering.

If they are flour sack towels, the sinking problem doesn't apply the way it would to terry cloth towels. I'm thinking a stabilizer on flour sack will make the embroidery unnecessarily stiff. Also, I believe the original poster was looking for an inexpensive stabilizer; can't get much more inexpensive than starch!

I'm not a machine embroiderer -- have only done applique -- so you may be right. I do think starch is worth a try.