Embroidery Machine Project: Personalized Baptism Towels

I just finished another personalized baptism towel with a CTR shield on the front, and I am so happy with how it turned out! These embroidered towels are one of my favorite things to make as gifts.

A CTR baptism towel is such a meaningful keepsake for kids to remember their special day. I've made quite a few of these for friends and family over the years. When I know the date of the baptism ahead of time, I like to embroider that on the towel as well. I also love personalizing the thread color to match the child's favorite color.

The CTR Embroidery Design

I use a CTR shield embroidery file from The Embroidery Depot on Etsy (not an affiliate, just a genuine recommendation). It's a two-color design, and I personally like to stitch it without the background color fill. It creates a really clean, elegant effect on the towel.

The design comes in both 2"x2" and 3"x3" sizes, so it works well even on a smaller hoop. One of my favorite things about this particular design is that The Embroidery Depot allows you to sell finished items made with it, which means you can make these as gifts or even sell them if you want to.

Can You Make These with a Small Embroidery Machine?

Yes! I made my first few personalized baptism towels on a Brother SE400, which has a 4"x4" hoop. It's very doable. That said, I'll be honest: it became noticeably easier once I upgraded to my Bernette b79 with its 6"x10" hoop. More hoop space means more flexibility with placement and design size.

If you have any embroidery machine at all, you can make these towels. Don't let a smaller hoop stop you!

The Key to Embroidering on Towels

The most important thing to know when embroidering on terry cloth is this: always use a water-soluble stabilizer as a topper. Without it, your stitches will sink right into the plush pile of the towel and the design will be nearly impossible to see. The topper holds the loops out of the way while you stitch and dissolves completely when you wash the towel.

The other technique to know is floating your towel rather than hooping it. Terry cloth is too thick and bulky to fit properly in an embroidery hoop. Instead, I hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer, apply some basting spray, and then lay the towel on top. It holds everything in place without distorting the fabric.

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If you want a full walkthrough, I've written a detailed post on how to embroider on towels with eight tips for success. It covers everything you need to know to get professional-looking results!

Personalized baptism towels are always such a hit, and they're one of those gifts that people actually keep. If you have an embroidery machine, I really encourage you to try making one. You can absolutely do it!

Have you made embroidered towels before? I'd love to see them in the comments!