Quilting and Patchwork

Tea Towel Quilts & Fabric Art

by Mary Emma Allen on August 9th, 2007

           I hadn’t realized tea towels (sometimes called dish towels) were so popular among collectors, quilters, and fabric artists until I read a mystery novel where the heroine visited a shop run by an acquaintance.  She marveled at the collection of tea towels displayed there…many of them imported from other countries.

I’d always thought of tea/dish towels as something we used in the kitchen for drying dishes and cutlery.  Yes, these often were attractive and might have been souvenir towels from places where a relative or we traveled.  But they generally were serviceable items.

So I became curious to learn more.  According to one source, these towels, often of linen, but sometimes made of lightweight terry cloth, toweling, and other absorbent materials, are called tea towels by the British and dish towels by Americans.  An all-encompassing name is kitchen towels.

It seems once you’re aware of a topic, you begin to see references everywhere.   I discovered that quilters often use tea/dish towels in piecing quilts.  These may be new towels, souvenir towels or ones you’ve used that create memories.

I learned about one lady who says she uses pieces from older tea towels as patches in her quilts.  These bring back memories and make attractive quilts and hangings for her family members.

Then I discovered tea towels at a number of online quilting supply stores.  You’ll find, too, instructions and kits for making a variety of items using tea/dish towels.

Collecting older tea/dish/kitchen towels can be fun, too. 

Have any of you made tea towel quilts or other items?  Share your story with us.

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