Cultural teatowels (totally frivolous)

I love tea towels! I buy one wherever go and love getting them as gifts from people's holidays. We have all sorts.

I received a new Teatowel only this morning. Love them, have one on the wall and yes, I get stupidly fond of them too and have great difficulty consigning old ones to the bin.

I have an ancient one of Famous Wines From Yugoslavia showing a map of how that country once was.

My absolute favourite is an Irish linen Union Jack tea towel!
It says souvenir from Ireland!

Also a map of Washington State pinpointing it’s main attractions.

My favourite, never used, is the one my GS now 23, gave me one Christmas when he was five.
To raise funds for school, each child in the class drew a picture of themselves and wrote their name underneath.
These were then printed on tea towels.
Lots of matchstick men, heads on legs etc and some names unreadable.
Perhaps lots of you have these treasures as I think many schools did it to raise funds.

We had one of those from our granddaughter ann. Very cute. We have one that is a replica of the flag of South Africa, one from Greece with a recipe for Moussaka on it, Cornish ones, Lake District ones. They cheer me up.

I've got a handprints one from DGD. done when she was in nursery. She'll be 10 in December.
I've also got some I inherited from my mum. 2 from the Norfolk Broads, one a map and one wild life.
AND a calendar one for 1972 which I've just realised is 50 this year. It has a small hole in it.
Happy Birthday to my tea towel!!
Anyone got one older?

Funny you should mention this*Giulia*. I am drying up at this very moment with a towel showing the sights of Rome. The Italian ones are huge.

We have two identical ones of the Norfolk Broads - we had taken one of our boys to an adventure holiday there when he was about 14 and bought a teatowel for ourselves. When we picked him up he had bought us one as a gift with his pocket money on a day out, exactly the same!

I think I once started a thread on teatowels.

My GDs made some with drawings of their class when they were in the Infants’. Brilliant drawings and I have kept the cloths folded in tissue paper. Never to be used

I have a green and white checked cotton T Towel that was my mum's. I keep it in the drawer with all the others, but only use it to cover food that is cooling after being cooked. I dont want to wear it out!!! We are a funny lot and attach ourselves to the weirdest things!!!!!

annsixty

My favourite, never used, is the one my GS now 23, gave me one Christmas when he was five.
To raise funds for school, each child in the class drew a picture of themselves and wrote their name underneath.
These were then printed on tea towels.
Lots of matchstick men, heads on legs etc and some names unreadable.
Perhaps lots of you have these treasures as I think many schools did it to raise funds.

I have one of those, also never used, and it's my favourite too.
It's thirty years old now.

Every year or two, I get it out to look at. It always make me smile, and it still amazes me at how recognisable some of the children were (my son included) from their childish self portraits.

I will always treasure it

I have an old one with a piece of elastic sewn on it from when DD was a shepherd in a school play 30+ years ago . I have lots from other countries that have been bought for me I never use them.
I also have a nappy belonging to one of the children that polishes the car windscreen it has been washed!

Snap annsixty and Oldnproud - two tea towels from primary school, never to be used and much cherished.
Much like travelsafar I wrap bread when it’s cooling in cotton tea towels. These two are in waiting for my dough which is on its first rise.

I have two favourite tea-towels, one is pale blue and white of Clovelly which is a lovely place and the other is navy blue and white of Exmouth where I used to live. Happy, wistful memories.

lovebeigecardigans1955

I have two favourite tea-towels, one is pale blue and white of Clovelly which is a lovely place and the other is navy blue and white of Exmouth where I used to live. Happy, wistful memories.

Clovelly is quite near me but I haven’t been there for years and was astonished to hear that you now have to PAY to visit,when I went it was free…

I have a tea towel showing William and Kate on their engagement. I bought several others to give people as souvenirs of this important event.

Santa Claus used to put a tea towel in my stocking some years, and I still have and use them. Some have lasted better than others though.

I like tea towel calendars, but since the RNLI and the the National Trust stopped selling them, I haven't found another source. Does anyone know of anywhere that sells them (not Amazon please!)?

I found a couple of nice ones at (IIRC) the HMS Victory shop last year. One’s like an old map of the U.K., with all the Shipping Forecast area names on. The other was a reproduction of a painting of the Battle of Trafalgar.

One that died the death a few years ago had a recipe for Caribbean rum punch on it.

One (measure) sour (lime juice, but I’ve often used lemon)
Two sweet (sugar syrup)
Three strong (dark rum)
Four weak (ice and water)

If anyone’s tempted, beware - I can testify that this stuff tastes fairly innocuous but can blow your head off if you’re not careful!

MiL used to buy us tea-towels as a souvenir of her hols - she knew I hated useless knick-knacks hanging around so brought us something useful that could be kept in a drawer when not in use. They also weren't very expensive so we knew she wasn't spending loads of money on our souvenir.

I have an older one than 1972, it’s the new decimal currency, 1971.

And a ‘30 years of Coronation Street 1960-1990’.

I have just dug out the tea towel which one of mine did in the infants.
Yes a lot are matchstick figures, but some, considering the children were so young, were fairly detailed.

It’s so lovely to look back at it, and remember a lot of the names under the drawings.
These children are now in their thirties, many, like my daughter with little ones of their own.

Do schools still do this does anyone know?

I have one covered in red hand prints which features two of my GC when they were at nursery. DGD is 20 next month, and excellent designer and craftsperson; and DGS is 18, just had good A-level results.

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JenniferEccles

Do schools still do this does anyone know?

Yes. We had one from dgs's school a couple of years ago ☺