Monogram Machine Embroidery on Beach Towels

Monogram machine embroidery designs are plentiful on the internet. It’s difficult to decide which design to choose with all the options available. When embroidering towels or other heavily napped fabrics, an embossed monogram machine embroidery design is a great choice.

Embossed Monogram Machine Embroidery

An embossed monogram machine embroidery design results in a technique similar to trapunto. However, instead of adding a layer of batting between fabric layers to add dimension to the design, the heavyweight toweling acts as the raised portion of the design. The surrounding threads tame the fabric nap and open areas are left as the “loft” to create the 3-D effect.

Embossed monogram machine embroidery designs are typically one-letter designs. On a beach towel, a large-scale letter looks best in order to be visible from afar. The featured designs are 7″, designed for an 8×8 hoop, but they also come in smaller sizes for those with hoop size limitations.

When embroidering a monogram machine embroidery design, don’t choose an appliqué design unless the fabric you use for the appliqué is waterproof, water-resistant or the same as the towel. For the featured Chic Embossed Monogram machine embroidery design, the appliqué steps were omitted to leave only thread for the design.

SUPPLIES

• Beach Towel
• Sulky Solvy® & Ultra Solvy™ stabilizers
• KK 2000™ Temporary Spray Adhesive
• Sulky 40 wt. Poly Deco™ thread
• Monogram Machine Embroidery Design – Embossed (featured from Designs by Juju: Chic Embossed Monogram)

Hooping

When hooping lofty fabrics, the fabric needs to be secured to the stabilizer rather than inside the hoop ring. This is otherwise known as “hoopless” embroidery. There are a couple of ways to secure the fabric to the hooped stabilizer to ensure no shifting.

1. Use a sticky-backed stabilizer. For a towel, you want NO trace of stabilizer after embroidery is complete. So a water-soluble sticky-backed stabilizer, Sticky Fabri-Solvy™, is the ticket. Hoop the Sticky Fabri-Solvy only with the paper side facing up. Use a pin to score the paper along the inner hoop ring, and then tear it away to reveal the adhesive. (The process is the same when working with Sulky Sticky +™, shown below.)Stick the towel in place, centering the desired embroidery area. Be very certain of the embroidery placement when using sticky stabilizer, as removing and repositioning the towel could cause the terry loops to pull out and snag. Alternatively, use Sulky Ultra Solvy sprayed with temporary spray adhesive.
2. The baste-in-the-hoop function on the embroidery machine works to secure fabrics that float on the hoop. Whether you use a sticky stabilizer or not, the baste-in-the-hoop function either bastes around the design or inner hoop perimeter. I combine this function with sticky stabilizer when the fabric wouldn’t be marred by extra needle holes.
3. KK 2000 Temporary Spray Adhesive works to temporarily secure fabrics onto hooped stabilizer. If you don’t have sticky stabilizer or want to use a different stabilizer type, as recommended for this project, spray the stabilizer with KK 2000, and then gently secure the fabric to the stabilizer in the hoop.

Beach Towel Monogram Embroidery Design Placement

Beach towels are rather large items for embroidery. Monograms look nice on lower-edge corners or centered along the lower edge so when the towel is folded the monogram can be centered atop the towel nicely.

That being said, place the monogram wherever you like! Be sure to mark the design center cross marks onto the towel using a removable marking method. Don’t use tape, as the adhesive may pull the terry loops, causing snags. Instead, if tape is preferred for marking, use strips of Sticky Fabri-Solvy to tape an “X” on the towel right side. This marking will come right off with water!

Embroidery

For the featured towel, hoop a piece of Sulky Ultra Solvy stabilizer. This is not a sticky stabilizer, so allows for repositioning the fabric until the desired placement is achieved. Lightly spray the stabilizer with KK 2000, and then position the towel onto the stabilizer, centering the design placement marks in the hoop.

Place the hoop onto the machine. Float a piece of Sulky Solvy over the towel. This prevents the thread from sinking into the fabric pile and ensures it sits atop the fabric surface.

Use the baste-in-the-hoop function to further secure stabilizer topper to the towel and the towel to the stabilizer.

Load the design onto the machine. Use the same Sulky Poly Deco thread in the needle and the bobbin, as the wrong side will show. Polyester thread is preferred if an item will be bleached or washed frequently, such as the featured beach towel.

Begin the embroidery.

For the featured design, one thread color was used. This gives a subtle texture to the towel and the design becomes more of a label than a fancy decoration. If your towel is a different color on the reverse side, choose that color for the bobbin.

If desired, get creative with your thread colors and use as many as you like.

Finishing

When the embroidery is complete, remove the hoop from the machine. Remove the basting stitches and clip any jump threads along the right and wrong side of the towel.

Remove the towel from the hoop. Gently tear away the excess Solvy topper beyond the design on the right and wrong sides. On the wrong side, trim away as much Ultra Solvy as possible close to the stitching.

Rinse the towel under running water to remove as much of the stabilizer as possible. Then submerge or throw the towel in the washing machine to remove it completely. Dry in the dryer or dry flat.

A Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 2 sewing & embroidery machine was used for the featured project.

Sulky may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links on our posts.