Friends Forever - Bathtowel with Hood in Anchor - Downloadable PDF

Friends Forever – Embroidered Hooded Bath Towel Pattern by Anchor (Free Downloadable PDF)

This charming Friends Forever pattern from Anchor Studio is a free, downloadable PDF guide for creating a beautifully embroidered hooded baby bath towel. Designed by Anchor Studio and published by MEZ GmbH, this intermediate-level embroidery project transforms a plain Anchor Baby bath towel with hood into a heartfelt, decorative keepsake — perfect as a handmade gift for a new baby or young child.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a hooded bath towel measuring 75 x 75 cm, decorated with a hand-embroidered design. The embroidered motif itself measures 18 x 14.5 cm and is worked directly onto the towel fabric. The result is a practical, everyday item elevated by detailed needlework, making it both functional and a treasured handmade piece.

Techniques Used

• Cross stitch – the primary technique, used to fill in all coloured areas of the design. Each coloured square on the chart represents one cross stitch.
• Backstitch – used for outlines and fine detail lines. On the chart, each line symbol represents one backstitch. Backstitch is always worked after all cross stitch areas have been completed.

Cross stitch is a counted embroidery technique where X-shaped stitches are formed on an even-weave or Aida fabric — or in this case, directly on a towel. Working cross stitch in a consistent direction (completing all the bottom diagonal stitches in a row before returning with the top diagonals) creates a neat, uniform finish. Backstitch, worked with a single strand, adds crisp definition to outlines and gives the motif a polished, illustrated appearance.

Stitches Used

• Cross stitch – worked using 2 strands of Anchor Stranded Cotton
• Backstitch (outlines only) – worked using 1 strand of Anchor Stranded Cotton

Materials Required

This project uses Anchor Stranded Cotton (8m skeins), a high-quality six-strand embroidery thread produced to Oeko-Tex standards with tested pH values and Global colour fastness standards. The following 11 colours are required:

• Anchor Stranded Cotton colours: #2, #23, #27, #103, #108, #254, #292, #305, #313, #1035, and #9159

One skein of each colour is sufficient for this project. The thread is worked with 2 strands for cross stitch and 1 strand for backstitch outlines.

Notions and Tools

• 1 Anchor Baby bath towel with hood – the base fabric for this project (the towel itself is a required notion listed in the pattern)
• 1 tapestry needle, size No. 24 – a blunt-ended needle specifically recommended for cross stitch embroidery. The blunt tip is important as it passes between fabric threads rather than splitting them, protecting both the towel and the thread.

Difficulty Level and Format

This pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it well-suited to embroiderers who are comfortable reading a cross stitch chart and working with multiple thread colours, but who may not yet have advanced needlework experience. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF from AnchorCrafts.com, with design reference number 0060002-00701-02. The chart uses a colour-coded grid format, with coloured squares indicating cross stitches and lines indicating backstitch placement.

Care and Quality

All Anchor Stranded Cotton threads used in this design are produced in compliance with Oeko-Tex standards, ensuring they are safe for use on items intended for babies and young children. Colour fastness is tested to Global standards, meaning the embroidery should remain vibrant through regular washing — an important consideration for a bath towel that will see frequent use.