Pic Credit: Flickr, Arlington County

Created in 2008, the dedicated day is celebrated to raise awareness about the benefits of hand washing with soap.

Clean hands save lives so the day shines a spotlight on the global culture of hand washing with soap.

Over 200 million people take part each year in over 100 countries around the world and a vast array of governments, international institutions and civil organisations get involved.

Support Global Hand Washing Day on 15^th October with the help of Ulster Weavers and our gorgeous tea towels.

Washing with soap is reportedly the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections which are significant causes of sickness and death throughout the world. Millions of lives of children in developing countries are taken each year due to insufficient hand washing.

Research has shown that by integrating hand washing with soap before eating and after toilet use into more people’s lives, it could almost half the number of global deaths of diarrhoea and reduce deaths from acute respiratory infections by 25%. The simple habit could even be more effective than any single vaccine or medical intervention.

So make sure you wash your hands properly to prevent sickness and then dry them on quality, cosy kitchen hand towels by Ulster.

Using a hygienic hand towel could be the difference between life and death in many cases, so check out our vast array of designs, styles and colours and rejoice in the global sanitary celebration tomorrow.

Dinner Reservations Linen Tea Towel

Dig For Dinner Linen Tea Towel

Piggy Linen Tea Towel

It is a very strange concept and an even weirder notion to celebrate but today is Towel Day!

Seize the day and celebrate all that is great about the towel with Ulster Weavers and out fantastic ranges including Teatowels, Hand Towels and Kitchen tea towels.

The origin of the British commemoration is said to be a tribute to Douglas Adams, author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy”. The day sees fans of the book and its author carrying towels with them to work and school, and plays an integral part of the daily activities.

Linen and cotton tea towels have been the core of Ulster Weavers’ business for over 125 years and we have a massive range made up of all material from linen, waffle weave to cotton. There are plenty of designs to suit everyone whether you prefer classic and contemporary, floral and fruit, nautical, or funny.

Towels make ideal gifts and treats for family and friends and at brilliant low prices you’d be silly not to take advantage of the amazing products; and on the official towel day!

WEIRD AND WACKY

In other news, a British woman found the face of Jesus Christ in a stained towel. The 31 year-old dance instructor, called Roisin McCourt, told the media that a bizarre brown stain that appeared on one of her tea towels strikingly resembles the face of Jesus.

She discovered the smudge after giving the towel a wash in her home in Coventry, England and the discoloured spot is clearly recognisable as the face of a man with a beard and long hair. The Brit believes it is a sign from God and is a powerful spiritual sign.

McCourt told a newspaper: “I am Catholic, but I am not extremely religious. We don’t go to Mass every weekend, but after finding this, it has definitely made my faith stronger.”

For many British people, a stained tea towel is an indication that they need to use a more powerful laundry detergent and cleaning soap.

As we get closer to the end of 2010 more and more colour trends information is being released. That being colour palettes, fun fabrics and fashion textiles for your home for the New Year.       

So it is no surprise that Crown has released their colour trends for 2011 and key themes and styles that are popping out are vibrant and earthy; and loud but serene.       

In a previous blog post we chatted about how important it is to colour co-ordinate your home, to ensure all appliances and furniture match to create that homely feel and give it some personality.       

Ulster Weavers have put together the colour styles from Crown’s intelligence, so you can think of some ideas to decorate your home in 2011 if you are wanting that new start and fresh slate.       

Or instead of re-decorating, why not match your home textiles to one of the new schemes so you can stay up-to-date and on trend.       

1950s       

Image Credit: Crown

2011 sees a flashback in time over a decade ago and a return of the 1950s, which can only mean retro with bright turquoise and soft grey colours.       

Amethyst       

Image Credit: Crown

The colour trend amethyst is set to carry on from Autumn/Winter but with softer more earthy tones of amethyst, biloba and lavender, with teal and flax yellow; in comparison to the glitzy eggplant-fuchsia and plums.       

Would look great paired with black and silver, your home-ware would dazzle. Purples can really create a very colourful scene and connote a cool warm feeling.       

Gold       

Image Credit: Crown

Crown is working the sexy bachelor look here and it’s very striking. With striking orange features, tarnish brass and royal golds, your home will certainly look and feel like a palace to eat in.       

Nudes       

Image Credit: Crown

A fantastic colour palette for your kitchen including beige and anaemic skin tones, it glows with soft peaches and blushing cheeks. Perfect to co-ordinate your tea towels and tea cosies with! Your home will feel warm, snug and cosy and ideal to spend time in as a family cooking.       

Natural Primary       

Image Credit: Crown

Here we have natural tones and materials creating a laid back feel but then bright colours adding a vibrant accent to the scene. With the Natural Primary trend we have splashes of unadulterated red and yellows.       

So now you know what colour schemes to go by, check out www.ulsterweavers.com for high quality kitchen textiles that make a house a home, which have become famous all over the world.

Owls are beautiful birds of prey and are turning heads on the high street as more and more fashion designers bring out owl clothes and accessories throughout 2010.

And as Halloween approaches what better time than now to look at the wise old owl and how it has burst out onto the fashion scene.

Many people are questioning the arrival of the owl trend and where it came from. While trends and styles drop in and out of the fashion world, the emergence of owls reappeared in autumn 2009 when Marc Jacobs introduced a few owl fashion designs in his collection. Before then, owl trends have dipped in and out of fashion but the last time they were big, bold and heavily on the scene was during the 70s when everyone adorned owl necklaces, bracelets, tops and earrings. It was all the rage.

And from the high street stores to the homeware world, Paper Source and Martha Stewart have introduced owl style place cards and aprons, as well as door mats for in and around the home.

“Owls are a charming trend in home decor. They add a fun, quirky element to living spaces and they fit right in with darker, retro looks and even brighter, more natural settings,” said Aimee Beatty, Pier 1 Imports’ corporate in house stylist.

And while everyone is twittering about owls we thought we would give a little hoot about our wildlife owl collection at

Twitter Double Oven Glove by Ulster Weavers

UlsterWeavers.com. During June 2010 our designers launched a fabulous homeware collection called Twitter. Our jazzy little owl design, in a full range of cotton kitchen textiles, is beautifully printed in soft neutrals and finished with detailed appliqué embroidery on some of the products to make the owl stand out as the main feature.

Complete with an apron, tea towel, muff tea cosy, pot mitt, gauntlet and double oven glove, our Twitter collection is perfect for your home this winter and puts you right up to date with the latest homeware and fashion trends.

And it’s not just our Twitter collection that features these beautiful birds of prey; we have a collection called Natural World designed by Karen Phillips, a British professional wildlife and animal artist. The Natural World collection features a range of tea towels and shoulder bags designed with a variation of natural wildlife including a shoulder bag and tea towel of two tawny owls.

All our animal homeware collections can be found on our website ulsterweavers.com today.

Britain was actually the first country to coin the ‘tea towel.’ In the 18th Century (1870 approx) Great Britain’s tea towel was a special linen drying cloth that the lady of the house would use to dry expensive pieces of China.

With its delicate weave, linen was considered the fabric of choice as it would not scratch pieces of fine China or glasses. During the 18th Century, British servants were charged with hand hemming and hand embroidering the tea towels. Each tea towel was embroidered with care with many of the tea towels becoming the subject of family heirlooms.

Linen was considered the best use of soft fabric; however it did require a lot of handheld care. Water temperatures could not be that warm (between 50-90) so all linen had to be hung out to dry from the sunlight. When the tea towel was just a bit damp, it needed to be ironed on the reverse side.

It is highly known that British people love their tea and pride themselves on how they serve it. At tea parties the table was amazingly dressed with the finest of linens and the most beautiful crystals and China, complete with matching napkins and tea towels.

Dry and clean tea towels were often used as a tea cosy (the tea towel was wrapped around the teapot in insulate and keep the pot warm), as well as a basket warmer. The tea towel was wrapped around or laid on top of a serving basket or bowl to keep fresh tea scones, tea cakes or muffins hot.

Ireland also is in line with the British when it comes to the tea towel and drinking cups of tea. In fact, they serve and drink tea as much as they do in England. 1794 was the year of yarn prohibition which turned Ireland like the British, to become excellent weavers with fine weaving a long and time honoured tradition.

Tea towels were massed produced by the Industrial Revolution with companies nowadays creating tea towels and other kitchen textile products displaying a variation of pictures, images, trends and styles etc.

 Tea towels are also seen as wall hangings or in encased frames as well as pictures on a wall.

Tea towel calendars are an adorable accessory to add to your home or office or as a gift to your family and friends. Not

Charlotte 2011 Calendar Linen Tea Towel

 only is it a decorative piece of art that you can hang up, it is also a functional calendar that can be used all year long.

There are many home interior stores that sell decorative tea towel calendars, however why not consider adding that personal touch by making one of your own? It isn’t hard to do and could potentially save you a bit of money if you decide to make a few to hand out as gifts to your friends and family this Christmas.

Things you will need

1. Straight Pins
2. Needle and Thread
3. Flour Sack Towel (tea towel)
4. Iron
5. ¼ inch dowel cut to 18 inches long
6. Two iron-on transfer sheets for use in a printer
7. String

• Get your tea towel and fold the top down to create a 1-inch hem. Pin it in place with straight pins.
• With your needle and thread sew along the pinned hem. Don’t sew the sides too close to the hem. Each of the open sides is used to slide the dowel through so you can hang your tea towel at the end.
• Iron the tea towel on a low setting so that it is completely smooth.
• Using your computer’s word processing software design your own calendar or alternatively search online for a printable calendar.
• With your printable iron-on transfer sheets, place them into the printer, and then print the design that you have chosen for your calendar.
• From here, place the printed design face down onto the tea towel. Run over the design with your iron which should still be on a low heat. Press firmly with the iron and then hold the fabric and paper with your other hand to keep the paper from moving and smudging the design.
  

  Birdsong 2011 Calendar Linen Tea Towel by Ulster Weavers

• With the remaining three sides of the tea towel, hem them down with a needle and thread. If you like the tea towel and how it looks before it is hemmed then you don’t have do it at all.
• With the dowel rod, slide it through the hem that you created at the top of the tea towel.
• Get your string and tie it around an end of the dowel rod, and use the slack to hang the string over a tack or nail on your wall. And hey presto your calendar is complete.

If arts and crafts really aren’t your thing but fancy having a calendar tea towel in your home or office then why not head down to Ulster Weavers the online home textiles company that has a fantastic collection of 2011 tea towels that are sure to catch your eye.

Limited edition 'Two Years to Go' tea towel with Ulster Weavers

To mark the two year countdown to the London 2012 Games, Ulster Weavers, kitchen textiles licensee for this major sporting event, have launched a limited edition linen tea towel which went on sale on 27 July.

The 27 July 2010 is exactly two years until the official opening of the London 2012 Games and what better way to mark the occasion than with the ‘Two Years to Go’ limited edition tea towel that buyers can keep as memorabilia.

The linen tea towel will be retailed at just £7.50 and can be bought via UlsterWeavers.com

This is the first Ulster Weavers product launched for the London 2012 Games since the Company were awarded the licence in June this year.

The Ulster Weavers team of designers are currently creating a wide collection of London 2012 Games kitchen textiles which will go on sale in January 2011. Products will include tea towels, aprons, oven gloves, tea cosies and textile bags.

To purchase your very own ‘Two Years to Go’ limit edition tea towel please visit UlsterWeavers.com today.

Strawberries are a succulent, fragrant fruit loved and enjoyed by everyone. Traditionally, part of the of appeal is that its short, six-week season, from early June until mid-August, coincides with the brief, long-awaited British summer.

Nowadays the British strawberry season extends from mid April until mid December, through the use of plastic polytunnels which provide the berries with a warmer, more protected environment –and a much longer growing season.

Elsanta – just one variety of strawberry – accounts for 80 per cent of the British fruit sold in UK supermarkets, although there are many other varieties available from farmers’ markets and pick your own farms which are worth seeking out.

In fact strawberries have long been a key ingredient in classic British summer foods such as the Eton Mess, summer pudding or strawberries and cream.

So why the strawberry season is still going strong, we thought we would find some delicious summer strawberry desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Strawberry and Champagne Sorbet

This gorgeous refreshing treat is perfect as an after dinner dessert for your guests. Whether it’s a dinner party or BBQ you are throwing the delectable dessert will go down a treat.

Full Recipe…

Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry cheesecake is a light and fluffy dessert that wins over everyone’s heart.

Full Recipe…

Strawberry Trifle

Strawberry trifle ticks everyone’s boxes. Cake, cream, fruit and custard, what more could anyone ask for!

Full Recipe…

And while you are going strawberry mad this summer, why not dress for the occasion with the stunning Strawberry kitchen furnishings range at UlsterWeavers.com.

The fresh, crisp and super delicious design has a summery feel, ideal for when entertaining alfresco, baking or even making yummy pots of jam. The Strawberries collection comes complete with an apron, PVC bag, tea towels, gauntlet and double oven glove, the perfect finishing accessories to make your house super fruity and summery! 

The kitchen is the place where everyone congregates after a long day at school or work to chat about the day’s events.  With this in mind why not make it into a homely and relaxing environment, transforming it into a practical room with colours and life.

And if you are on a tight budget and can’t afford to redecorate the whole kitchen then here are a few helpful tips from UlsterWeavers.com to help you make your house a home.

Bring in more colours

We don’t mean splash the kitchen with blocks of colour and throw in random fluorescent accessories; instead we are talking about adding a touch of colour here and there to add some colour into your kitchen. Things like flowers, vases and candles are the perfect finishing touches, or you could even purchase coffee makers and blenders which come in a range of colourful designs.

Add fresh fruit bowls

Add fresh fruits on a nice basket or tray. Fresh fruits are always colourful and look perfect on a table in the kitchen. It adds colour and vitality to any kitchen.

Small kitchen appliances

Kitchen appliances should be small to avoid occupying more space. You could purchase multi-purpose appliances which are perfect for the kitchen and can be used for mixing, blending, chopping or grinding; all the functions in one.

Textile furnishings

When you think of a homely kitchen you imagine cakes baking in the oven, tea stewing in the tea pot and mum cooking with her apron and oven mitts on. Now this idyllic scenario may not always be the case in your hectic lifestyle but you can always pretend it is by decorating your home with tea cosies, aprons, ovens mitts and decorative tea towels to spruce up the kitchen environment.

And we are not talking plane Jane designs here. We mean decorative and creative home furnishings by UlsterWeavers.co.uk. The website has some beautiful collections to choose from including British Cats by English artist Ann Walker, to Vintage style aprons and tea towels. There are a wide range of designs all at affordable prices to help spruce up your kitchen from drab to fab.

For more information visit Ulster Weavers today.