what make of tea towels do you buy at Target

[daycare]

Good morning everyone. I have noticed that a lot of sewers say they buy their tea towels at Target. I am from southern Ontario and have to travel about 45 minutes to get to the nearest Target store. I was at the Target in Niagara Falls the other night and they had so many I wasn't sure which ones to buy. I thought if I knew which brand, I would stock up on them. I had bought some waffle tea towelling by the yard last year at a Fabric outlet here, and they made the most beautiful towels. Everyone said that they never shrink and the embroidery was beautiful on them. But now they are out of it and I can't find any anywhere. Of course I never made any for myself and now I want to redo my kitchen after the holidays and would like to make some for me.
I was at Joanns a few weeks ago and asked if they sold tea towelling, but the lady didn't even know what I was talking about.
I also noticed that some of you buy them at Ikea. I do have one of those only 10 minutes from home, but it is always so busy there that I very seldom go. However if the members think that they are as good or better than Target's, I will make a trip.
Have a great day everyone, hope you are ready for the holidays.

[blessedw2]

I just did some Dish towels that I got at target. They were made by fieldcrest. It was the only place I could find plain white ones.

[StitchinGrandma]

I was at Joanns a few weeks ago and asked if they sold tea towelling, but the lady didn't even know what I was talking about.
I also noticed that some of you buy them at Ikea. I do have one of those only 10 minutes from home, but it is always so busy there that I very seldom go. However if the members think that they are as good or better than Target's, I will make a trip.
Have a great day everyone, hope you are ready for the holidays.
Don't you just love when you ask for something at JoAnn's and they look at you like you've got two heads or something. :rolleyes:

I am one that has bought from IKEA. I LOVE those towels. I wish they were a little larger myself but anyone I've given them to just raves about them for months and then ask if they will get more as soon as the holidays get close. LOL It's worth the trouble going to IKEA and buying some. Just remember to buy the blue/white ones and not the waffle ones. ;)

Really even though their parking lot looks terribly busy they normally have quite a few registers open and you can usually get through fairly quickly. I'm jealous you live that close to one. We have to drive 1 1/2 hrs to the closest to our home but we do just for those towels and their batteries. Yes, batteries. You cannot get a better battery than those they sell. We had four teenagers with a multitude of things that took AA/AAA batteries and we bought one pack of IKEA's batteries to try. Never again have we bought another kind and even now that our kids have left the house they hope we'll give them IKEA batteries for Christmas. They last forever!

[Sew 'N Sane]

Don't you just love when you ask for something at JoAnn's and they look at you like you've got two heads or something. :rolleyes:

I am one that has bought from IKEA. I LOVE those towels. I wish they were a little larger myself but anyone I've given them to just raves about them for months and then ask if they will get more as soon as the holidays get close. LOL It's worth the trouble going to IKEA and buying some. Just remember to buy the blue/white ones and not the waffle ones. ;)

Really even though their parking lot looks terribly busy they normally have quite a few registers open and you can usually get through fairly quickly. I'm jealous you live that close to one. We have to drive 1 1/2 hrs to the closest to our home but we do just for those towels and their batteries. Yes, batteries. You cannot get a better battery than those they sell. We had four teenagers with a multitude of things that took AA/AAA batteries and we bought one pack of IKEA's batteries to try. Never again have we bought another kind and even now that our kids have left the house they hope we'll give them IKEA batteries for Christmas. They last forever!


Vicki - thanks for the info. about the batteries..somehow or another my family goes through batteries like they go through milk - every time I turn around I'm buying 2 or 3 packages. :eek:

I went to IKEA the other day and looked at their towels, but I wasn't sure which ones to buy..glad to know that I should get the blue and white ones. What do you usually embroider on those?

:elefant:

[StitchinGrandma]

Vicki - thanks for the info. about the batteries..somehow or another my family goes through batteries like they go through milk - every time I turn around I'm buying 2 or 3 packages. :eek:

I went to IKEA the other day and looked at their towels, but I wasn't sure which ones to buy..glad to know that I should get the blue and white ones. What do you usually embroider on those?

:elefant:

Don't ask me why I brought up the batteries in here but glad I did. Yes, they are great. I think it's funny our grown kids want batteries for Christmas though. LOL

I have actually embroidered anything on the towels that I have other than, of course FSL stuff. I'm sure you know that though. LOL I used to let the perfectionist in me get all freaked out about embroidering over top of the blue parts but just let it go. In each pack you get an assortment and because we have to travel so far, I ususally buy a ton of them in one trip. That way too, I can let the perfectionist in me still give a matched set. HA! Anyway, I've done redwork, bluework designs as well as filled designs and they all turn out great. I wash everything before I embroider and these are no exception. I wash them in hot water though just because I know if I don't and get the maximum shrinkage that someone I give them to will. I'd rather they shrink a lot for me before I embroider than after they get them and feel the need to ignore the label and wash them in hot and ruin my hard work. :D So, I wash, dry, and then iron the area I will embroider on. Also I fold each towel in half and then in half lengthwise again, then fold side to side and hit the center with an iron to mark the center of half the towel. (I hope that made sense) Then I hoop using a washaway stabilizer and then when done, rinse it out and wash the towels, dry and then I iron them too before giving them away.

[daycare]

Thanks for the info on the towels. Now for sure I will have to go out to Ikea, though for my own sanity I will wait till after the holidays. Now that I know they are so nice I won't worry too much about having to cross border shop at Target. Not that I need an excuse to go shopping anywhere if it includes sewing supplies. It is much easier and cheaper for me to get my stabilizers and threads in the States than here in Canada.
I know what you mean when you say Joann's looks at you like you have two heads. I thought for a minute that maybe you called them something different than tea towels in the States because she didn't have a clue. I know most people have dishwashers, but my tea towels get used for everything.
I will also get some of the batteries. I am a home childcare provider and one of the favourite activities of my little guys is to play monster with flashlights.
Typical boy play isn't it, but I also run out of batteries quite quickly. I have looked for the crank type flashlights, but they were $30.00 each and I can buy a heck of a lot of batteries for that price.
Thanks for the info and have a great day.
Daycare

[StitchinGrandma]

OH DUH! Silly me! It just dawned on me...... you can buy dish towel fabric on the bolt at IKEA too. :D See? I'm giving you more an more reasons to go there. HA! Wait till you see all thier pretty fabrics. And check out their drapes and curtains when you need some next. We got 84" long burgundy drapes, rubber lined too for $3.50 a pair. They are really thick too, not some cheap stuff.

[blessedw2]

OH DUH! Silly me! It just dawned on me...... you can buy dish towel fabric on the bolt at IKEA too. :D See? I'm giving you more an more reasons to go there. HA! Wait till you see all thier pretty fabrics. And check out their drapes and curtains when you need some next. We got 84" long burgundy drapes, rubber lined too for $3.50 a pair. They are really thick too, not some cheap stuff.

I have never been to an IKEA, but they have fabric??? and drapes?? Do they have that online also?

[StitchinGrandma]

I have never been to an IKEA, but they have fabric??? and drapes?? Do they have that online also?
I honestly don't know. I haven't shopped online because we go to the store instead.

[daycare]

I have seen their material before, but never paid any attention to it. My sister bought some really nice drapes for her family room door that are a linen like material and said she couldn't believe the price.
I will probably buy the fabric by the yard because I also like to put a little border of gingham or something on the bottom to match their kitchen colour and this way I won't have to cut off a hem.
They do have a web site and if you are from the US it is http://www.ikea.com/us/en/
I have never shopped online with them, but my daughter will go on to their site and check out our store to see if what she wants is in stock before she goes out there which is a good idea.
I am finally finished all my holiday sewing and will try to wrap them this afternoon and for awhile I would like to do some sewing for me for a change.
Funny how we let ourselves go to the bottom of the list when it comes to making things. Oh well at least everyone loves their home made gifts which makes it all worth while
daycare

[StitchinGrandma]

Just because you made it so easy, I clicked the link and typed fabric into their search box. You have to buy it in the store but can look online. I never noticed something before when in the store looking at the fabrics. I never bought it there because I had the towels and figured I could get stuff locally for fabric instead for about the same price. If you check their prices and think the same thing...... check closer because the majority of their fabric appears to be 59" wide rather than the normal average we get of 42" wide. That means their fabric IS much cheaper. Next time I go I'm hitting that fabric section a little longer. LOL

ETA: BTW ~ These are the dish towels I mentioned that I buy that are wonderful.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70069637

[daycare]

thanks for the link. I went on to the Canadian Ikea site and they do sell the towels. I didn't see the fabric by the yard on the site, but will look for it when I go to the store.
Now I am excited about going shopping there. As I said I don't often go there because of the crowds, but you are right when you say that they usually have a lot of cashiers open and you don't wait too long.
Well off to work, have a great day and thanks for the info.
Daycare

[just_teachin]

OH DUH! Silly me! It just dawned on me...... you can buy dish towel fabric on the bolt at IKEA too. :D See? I'm giving you more an more reasons to go there. HA! Wait till you see all thier pretty fabrics. And check out their drapes and curtains when you need some next. We got 84" long burgundy drapes, rubber lined too for $3.50 a pair. They are really thick too, not some cheap stuff.

Okay, fellow Illinoisan! Is this the Bollingbrook one or the Schaumburg one? I've been to the latter once, ages ago, but the Bollingbrook one is closer (I'm in Ottawa). Do tell!!

[StitchinGrandma]

thanks for the link. I went on to the Canadian Ikea site and they do sell the towels. I didn't see the fabric by the yard on the site, but will look for it when I go to the store.
Now I am excited about going shopping there. As I said I don't often go there because of the crowds, but you are right when you say that they usually have a lot of cashiers open and you don't wait too long.
Well off to work, have a great day and thanks for the info.
Daycare
I'm glad we finally talked you into going. LOL You'll have to tell us when you get back and share all of your awesome finds.

Okay, fellow Illinoisan! Is this the Bollingbrook one or the Schaumburg one? I've been to the latter once, ages ago, but the Bollingbrook one is closer (I'm in Ottawa). Do tell!!

Well, hello there. I normally shop at the Schaumburg store. We've been to the other one but HATE the layout and the way you have to shop there in picking up almost everything from the warehouse area. Plus the layout of that store is horrible. I felt like we were trapped in some kind of maze or something. LOL I have a step-neice living in Ottawa. I just addressed her Christmas card just about an hour ago.

[twin mom]

I think the brand that I bought was Fieldcrest. Sews up very nicely, Target price, and washes beautifully. The towels also seem to not have very much lint, which is great when you use them to dry your eyeglasses.