Potluck

COLLECTING TEA TOWELS IN YOUR TRAVELS

Collecting Tea Towels; photo credit sxc.hu image

By Mary Emma Allen

My mom, when she traveled, enjoyed collecting souvenir tea towels that she brought home.  Some she used for drying dishes.  Others she simply displayed.  Whatever way, she had memories of her trips. One of her granddaughters traveled to China and brought her a tea towel from there.  Cousin Ina often gave them to Mother as a gift from her travels. Then as we dried dishes, we remembered Ina's stories of her travels throughout the United States.  (Perhaps these stories stimulated my love of travel!)

Tea Towels As Collectibles

I've discovered that tea towels (often called dish towels or kitchen towels) are popular among collectors and fabric artists when 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 foreign countries. I'd always thought of tea/dish towels as something we used solely 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. I became curious to know more, after learning about tea towels in this novel. (See, not all novels are purely entertaining! They often have useful and entertaining information woven into the action.)

History of Tea Towels

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. They were indispensable in the kitchen when I was growing up because we didn't have mechanical dishwashers.  Just my sister and me! Either the dishes dried in the draining rack or we toweled them by hand.

Tea Towels for Quilters

It seems once you're aware of a topic, you begin to see references everywhere. In researching, I discovered that quilters use tea towels. (I've been a quilter for more than 30 years, but didn't know this!) One lady says she uses pieces from older tea towels as patches in her quilts. These bring back memories and make attractive quilts for her family members. Then I discovered tea towels on a number of online quilting supply stores. You'll find, too, instructions and kits for making a variety of items using tea/dish towels.

QUICK BEEF STROGANOFF is ideal for the busy homemaker, when you're involved in many projects and family activities or planning your travels.

Brown and cook 1 pound hamburger/ground beef and 1/2 diced onion. (My family likes at least one whole medium onion.)

Drain off excess fat.

Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup (you can use the lower fat or lower sodium type) and simmer at least 10 minutes.

Just before serving, add 3/4 cup sour cream (light type, if desired) and heat.

Serve over rice, noodles, biscuits, or mashed potatoes.

Accompany with a tossed green salad.

(c)2010Mary Emma Allen (I write from our woodland home in NH, where I enjoy researching and writing about many topics connected with homemaking and cooking. E-mail: me.allen@juno.com )