Can we talk about tea towels?

[bod111]

I cannot believe I am asking this. This is a laughably luxury problem. I recently replaced my totally gross ancient tea towels with new ones following an attempt to lift the scummy slummy vibes in the kitchen. All my new tea towels - variety bought from different places, Habitat, local haberdasher, supermarkets have all shrunk to about half their original size within - like - about a month. Any advice much appreciated.

My people! I have a collection from my late beloved MIL, the shipping forecast is my favourite, and a more recent collection of gingham ones from John Lewis. The JL ones are work horses; they look smart but are functional (DH manages to soak the countertops every time he’s at the sink) and dry very well. I love the idea of a stunt tea towel! 🥰 I’m now off to spend some quality time looking at Ulster linen and Georg Jenson.

The Georg Jensen linen tea towels, as posted up thread, are absolutely lush.

I only iron the 'show' tea towels that hang on the oven. The rest live in crumpled comfort in the cupboard.

About thirty five years ago I bought a book on Monet’s Provence garden containing a photo which purported to show his beautifully appointed rustic kitchen. Inspired by that I lived for years with a pile of snowy white, perfectly ironed cotton tea towels on a counter in front of my cookbooks.

Once I moved the kitchen vibe wasn’t the same - and by then I’d moved onto linen. So now all my tea towels are a variation on the single stripe, natural coloured, crunchy linen I linked earlier. My local ‘destination’ hardware store stocks a couple of versions, but usually I order about half a dozen at once online. And like a previous poster they move through the hierarchy and end up as shoe cleaning cloths.

Fascinated by those of you who harbour collections of disparate, patterned and printed towels! That would seriously hurt my head.

Have a look online for catering/hospitality suppliers for the heavy cotton glass towels, they’re absolutely still available if you know where to look

May I recommend these? In my opinion they are better than the John Lewis ones and are huge and cheap as chips. Of course these are to be used daily - my stunt ones tend to be holiday purchases with lovely memories.

https://home.bargains/product/834eeb79-69aa-4201-a67d-2511d85053ea/open-kitchen-2-pack-tea-towels

I know exactly what you're saying!

They're like chocolate - getting smaller!

One wipe of one mug and they're wet!

I love tea towels and have quite a collection.

From Dunelm I buy Dexam Love Colour Set of 3 Extra Large Tea Towels, £17.60, various colours, they're huge! 35 x 23 inches! Like mini tablecloths!

I also buy them from our local discount store, massive things for £1.25 each, and various other places.

I have a mix of Fortnum and Mason tea towels and Disney Ratatouille ones from Disneyland Paris

I buy old linen tea towels from vintage fairs and junk shops.
Often they're commemorative tea towels or the souvenir ones people bought back from holidays and then thought 'too good to use' so they're new old stock.

Old linen towel are at least twice the size of the ones you can buy in shops these days, they actually work from day one, wash brilliantly and last donkeys years.

Edited to add - they normally cost a pound or two.

I love a tea towel. I buy mine on holidays so they have happy memories. Currently en route to Orkney and already planning what my new tea towel might be. Already have a Shetland puffin one so will need to be different. Nice of mine are puckered and no shrinkage going on for me

Was justabout to mention Costco, their tea towels are amazing!

I’m just reviving this lovely and gentle thread to update with my latest tea towel purchase. Last night, I took my teen to hear Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist and activist, speak at an event in Manchester. It was glorious. Tomorrow, I am taking both of my children to see his exhibition at Aviva Studios in Manchester. There was all sorts of merchandise: sweatshirts, T-shirts, baseball caps, books, badges etc. Obviously, I chose the tea towel. This will now be added to my stunt tea towel collection.

An Ai Weiwei tea towel? I've googled but I can't pin it down, can we have a pic please?

I'm just LOVING the idea of an Ai Weiwei tea towel, not least because of historical connections between tea and China.
Thanks for letting us know @ThePieceHall ! 🌟

Holy cow! These are just what I've been looking for. We have a collection of tea towels all bought from various French markets over the years but some of them need replacing and I couldn't find what I wanted anywhere. I was half-tempted to a get a sneaky trip to France in over the summer to replenish the stock 😂 (Love the table runners too!)

They are very addictive! Everything else seems like ephemeral frippery by comparison.

Here is my latest addition- love an excuse to show her off!!

Do you frame, or otherwise display them, @MrsMitford3?

I would fell odd using something like that for normal tea towel tasks.

I use them! They just make me happy 😂 although I do have a stunt tea towel that my DIL brought me from Brazil and I felt an inner gasp when I saw someone using it

edited to add that ephemeral frippery is my new favourite phrase.

Is that a Matt Sewell print? Actually, it also reminds me of a family game we have called Bird Bingo.

Yes, I will post a photo but I’m not sure it will get past the MN filters. Basically, it’s a black and white short perspective photo of an anonymous hand giving the middle finger to the White House in the distance.

It's Emma Bridgewater-

some gorgeous ones in the sale
https://www.emmabridgewater.co.uk/collections/tea-towels-aprons-oven-gloves

Thanks for the description. I think it'll be fine though re Mumsnet filters, I'm an habitué of the anti-Trump threads and worse than that is posted on those most days! 😂

Okay, I’ll upload shortly. Also, digressing massively from tea towels, if you like Ai Weiwei, he is starting a 24-hour piece of ‘performance art’ in Manchester tonight, during which he will condense his experiences of his illegal arrest by the Chinese authorities and his 81 days imprisoned in a tiny cell. There will be ‘guest performances’ from people like Lemn Sissay, who will recreate the role of an interrogator. This will be live streamed for free on the Aviva Studios website.

It’s lovely and thanks for the link. Maybe it’s time to fess up to the fact that in addition to my (mainly stunt) tea towel collection, I also have a ridiculous number of Emma Bridgewater mugs!

Yes, I share your horror of anyone inadvertently using one’s stunt tea towels. Family know, of course, but there’s no way you could ever articulate these rules to anyone else for fear of being permanently labelled as deranged.