Embroidery Library - Machine Embroidery Designs Inspired Project Page

Monogramming Towels

Monogramming

Click on the image to the right
to see the free video tutorial, or
read below for written instructions.

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To find the Alphabet designs for monogramming, visit www.EmbLibrary.com!

We'll begin with one of the most popular items to monogram: towels.

One classic monogram style is to use three letters, with the letter for the last name slightly larger than the letter for the first and middle names.

When monogramming using this style, the large initial for the last name is generally in the center.

For this demonstration we're using the letters KJC for "Kenny John Christopher."

A monogram is generally placed 2 inches above the hem of an unbanded towel, or 1 1/2 inches above the band.

There's a quick-and-easy way to find and mark the center of a towel. We measured 1 1/2 inches above the band and folded the towel up. Then we pressed that fold lightly with an iron, just enough to make a line.

Next we folded the towel in half the other way, and pressed lightly again.

The center point is where the two lines meet. We'll line up the large initial for the last name there.

Mark the design's center point right over the center point of the towel.

Align the horizontal axis of the first and middle initials with the horizontal axis of the last initial.

Mark the center points of those letters.

Now that the center points of each design are marked, we're ready to embroider the designs.

Terrycloth has a loose weave, so cutaway stabilizer provides the best support. We hooped the towel with one piece of medium-weight cutaway, and water-soluble stabilizer on top.

Attach the hoop to the machine and move the hoop so the needle is right over the center point for the first design.

Embroider the design. The cutaway stabilizer holds the terrycloth nice and steady during the embroidery, and the water-soluble stabilizer on top prevents the stitches from sinking into the fabric.

Once the first design has finished sewing, move to the next design.

Depending on how large your hoop is, you may not need to rehoop for the other letters.

If you do need to rehoop, slide the lower/bottom hoop left or right, and press the top hoop in place again. Keep an eye on the pressed horizontal line to make sure that it stays straight.

Embroider the next design....

...and repeat the steps again for the last letter.

Voila! A beautifully monogrammed towel in a classic and traditional style.

We used the Dauphin alphabet for this towel. Click here to see all available sizes of the Dauphin alphabet.

Now we'll monogram another towel using a different method, and a different style.

For this towel we're going to use letters that are all the same size. When monogramming in this manner, the letters are arranged first initial, middle initial, and last initial, rather than the last initial being in the center of the monogram.

If you have embroidery editing software, it's convenient to arrange the letters into a monogram before you begin to embroider. For this demonstration we're using Embird, which is available from www.Embird.com.

Open one letter, and then use the "merge" function to bring the other two letters into your workspace.

Then, click and drag the letters to arrange them into a monogram.

Save this arrangement as one new embroidery design.

Find the center point of the towel by folding and pressing.

The traditional placement is 1 1/2 inches above the band, but we found that if we placed the monogram there, the letter "j" would be too close to the band to be visually appealing. We shifted the monogram up a bit so the bottom of the "j" rests 1 1/2 inches above the band. That's a good example of how sometimes it's necessary to break the "rules" and rely on what looks good to you.

Hoop the towel with cutaway stabilizer and a topping, and then embroider the design.

Because we merged the designs together in embroidery editing software before we began, there's no need to stop and rehoop for each letter.

And here is the finished piece -- another classic and traditional monogram.

We used the Art Block alphabet for this towel. Click here to see all available sizes of the Art Block alphabet.

Now that we've worked with the classic styles, we're going to explore some more modern and non-traditional approaches to monogramming.

Kenny is trying to convince Deb to take up cooking, and he thinks she'll be more likely to do that if she has a monogrammed apron.

For this project Kenny selected letters from two different alphabets. A large D is the focal point, with smaller, lower-case letters scattered up-and-down to spell "debra."

If you have embroidery software you can arrange the designs together in advance. If not, mark each design's center point and embroider the designs separately.

The result is fantastic -- a new twist on an old favorite.

We used the Curlz alphabet to spell "Debra" on this apron. Click here to see all available sizes of the Curlz alphabet.

Next we'll monogram a shirt -- but not the collar, or the pocket, or the cuffs. We'll use a single letter "K".

We're really going to give the embroidery software a workout now! After opening the K we duplicated it so we had two letters. We mirrored one and put it back-to-back with the first K.

Then we duplicated that new arrangement, and turned it into a repeating border!

The shirt is 27 inches long from shoulder to hem. The hoop that we're working with is 10 inches long, so we made a 9 inch border and repeated it three times down the right side of the shirt.

The result is absolutely fabulous. One single letter, twisted and turned and repeated and duplicated, brings the term "monogrammed shirt" to a very new and exciting level.

We used the Colombo alphabet to make the modern monogram on this shirt. Click here to see all available sizes of the Colombo alphabet.

Whether they're classic or contemporary, traditional or modern, monograms are a wonderful way to personalize projects. Have fun making monograms your own!

Looking for more specific instructions for merging designs with editing software? Here are two examples -- first using embroidery software called Embird, available at www.Embird.com.

1. Place the letters that you want to merge into one folder. Open Embird, and direct the program to that folder. Click on one of the files, and then click on "Editor" to go into "Editor" mode.

2. In Editor mode, choose 'file' and 'merge.' Click on 'file' and 'merge' again, and select the third monogram letter.

3. Now all three files will be in your work area. Click on them and move them around until they are arranged in the manner that you want -- either a monogram or a word.

When the letters are arranged to your satisfaction, choose "file" and "save."

Now you're ready to put it into your machine and embroider!

Now, we'll use VIP Customizer to combine the same letters,
and 1-2-3, its done!

1. Open each letter. Open the center letter of the monogram first, because the software automatically opens the first design in the exact center of the hoop outline. This will make it easier for you when you are lining up the letters to know that the middle letter is perfectly centered. The remaining letters will open elsewhere in the workspace.

2. Click and drag the right and left letters into place. Use the center letter and grid lines as references to make sure that each letter is straight, centered and spaced correctly.

After the letters are spaced as you like them, click on the "Combine Stitch Files" icon on the toolbar. It is the fifth icon from the left. When prompted, click "yes" to continue.

3. Your stitch files are now combined into one stitch file. You can save it and put it into your machine for stitching.

Click here for a printable version of these project instructions.

You'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download a free copy by clicking on the icon below.