We all do dishes and we all use towels in the kitchen. Right?
Do you think about the towels you use for drying dishes, pots and your hands? Do you care? (I certainly hope you are not using paper towels for the quick hand dry!!)
Having grown up in the era of terry cloth towels… you know, those oh-so-thin retro printed towels…I am SO grateful that there are now such great alternatives and such a huge variety available.
My tea towel of choice is made of linen. It absorbs water SO much better than anything else and I have found, it lasts much longer, and with a soak in fabric brightener occasionally, stays bright and crisp.
Until recently it was hard to find good, quality linen towels: ten years ago I always bought mine in France, at the street markets and then vintage towels at the brocante fairs. But now there are so many excellent, small manufacturers doing unusual prints.
So here are a variety of styles I’ve chosen for you. Fabrics vary from 100% linen to 50/50 cotton and linen, to all cotton.
A tea towel = a dish towel.
Well, almost. The following is from Diane Fagan Affleck of the American Textile History Museum:
“A tea towel seems to be what I would term a dish towel,” Affleck explains. “The difference between what this kind of dish towel and what a lot of people think of is that it’s a flat-woven fabric made from linen (earlier) and cotton (more recently),” she adds. And one thing is clear: “It is definitely not a terry towel.”
And here is a very interesting history of tea towels, in Weaving Today. The article highlights the many uses and fabrics in the history of this everyday household article.
For me, some of the best designs are the simplest, as these below:
Another favorite source: Cotton and Flax.
Linen. From Studio Patro, one of my all time favorite sources on Etsy.
This is 100% cotton and ships from the UK. Find it on Etsy.
Flour sack towels from KitchStudios.
So many cute ideas out there. I have found that Etsy is just about the best source around for these. Let me know if you try any of these sources…
Great selection! I like the linen ones from Williams Sonoma, but they are sooooo expensive.
Heather @ New House New Home recently posted…Lamb Themed Baby Shower for My Niece
I know, Heather, they can be SO expensive! For one towel… But then again, they last forever, and then can be turned into great, soft rags!
This past December I bought a lot of linen towels on ebay. I only buy “new” ones of the vintage variety that haven’t been used. The colors and patterns were wonderful and reminded me of the ones we used at home. I have been given a number of Flour sack towels, but a thread always breaks in early use and I start having holes right away.
Loved this post.
Thanks Julie! I had this post as a draft for months: had no idea it would be so popular!
I unearthed a collection of never-used vintage Irish linen tea towels in my mom’s things. I hated to use them, they were so crisp and new. I did. Love them. The poppies towel, though, wow!
Yep, that poppy towel is great. THought you might like that! But when you look on Etsy there are hundreds of great designs. Hard to choose!
Spot on Libby! I love my French jacquard towels too….and the terrycloth (éponge) ones… http://www.maryjames.net/french-terry-towels/. Have missed seeing you. Stay warm!
So MJ: where are you? If you’re here, let’s get together??? Come over here for lunch maybe? Would just love to catch up. And, of course, Jo is now right here!!!! Thank you for that introduction: it’s small world alright…
I always bring tea towels home from my garden tours and they serve as a lovely reminder of good times shared with friends in special places. Most are from the UK and they are typically cotton. The one I purchased last year at Highgrove is especially pretty.
Marian St.Clair recently posted…In a Vase on Monday and the Big Snow
I bring them home too, Marian. But then, they seem so special that I don’t want to use them! And the good cotton and linen ones are stiff at first and just get better with washings. I line dry mine so I think that also helps to make them last longer.
I felt that way at first, too, but now I love using them and reliving those fun times each day, and then when I go back, I get more!
Marian St.Clair recently posted…In a Vase on Monday and the Big Snow
THOSE BELGIUM ones are THE BEST…………..same as you find in FRANCE!The size is good too as they are a bit bigger!
LA CONTESSA recently posted…OH GOSH………GREEN & GRAY!