After you are finished cross stitching and before
you frame your piece it is a good idea to wash your piece in order to get rid of
the natural oils left behind from your hands as well as any soiling that may
have occurred during your stitching time.
This process is not as frightening as it may
sound. In most cases hand washing is the best way to go.
First you want to fill the sink or a basin with
cold water. Using cold water will help prevent any bleeding of
fabric and
threads. Some people also give their needlework an ice bath by emptying a tray
of ice cubes into the sink or basin.
Adding the detergent. Many needle workers have
come to use Orvus soap in the cleaning care of their needlework and several
needle supply shops have begun to carry it. If you do not have this available to
you, then you may want to use a mild dish detergent like Ivory or a mild clear
laundry detergent. I personally have used All Free & Clear and had no problems with
it damaging my needlework or causing bleeding of fibers. You don’t need a lot of
detergent just a tiny little bit, think of this as a miniature laundry wash.
Once you have your soapy water ready you are
going to place your stitched piece in and let it soak for about one to six hours
in the soapy water. If it is soiled around the edges of the fabric you may want
to let it soak longer. Every now and then you can give it a gentle swish with
your hand or with a spoon. If needed gently rub any extremely heavily soiled
areas to remove dirt.
After you are done soaking and washing you will
need to rinse. Drain all the soapy water out of the sink or basin and begin
rinsing your piece. Again you want to use cold water for this. Rinse until you
are sure that no soap remains in the fabric and threads.
Do not wring out the piece, this will cause
fabric distortion. Have a towel ready next to the sink to lay your piece out
flat on. Roll up the towel and piece as one. Squeeze gently but do not twist or
wring. Unroll the towel and allow piece to dry for awhile flat.
After it has dried for awhile you may want to
iron your piece to remove any wrinkling that may have occurred. Lay the piece
face down on a towel or another smooth fabric instead of placing directly on the
ironing board. Do not iron the front face of your stitching as it may distort
your stitches. With the stitched piece face down place a layer of cheese cloth
or ironing fabric on top of it so that you do not scorch the threads or fabric
and iron from the center out using a low setting. You may need to lightly mist
the layers of fabric with cold water.
Now, that wasn’t so bad was it? You now have a
clean, fresh, crisp finished piece ready for framing or sewing into a pillow,
quilt square etc...
There are some things to consider before washing.
If you have used over-dyed threads or fabric you want to carefully read the
label for color fast information. Some of these are washable and some are not.
Be sure yours are washable before proceeding. Some have special care
instructions as well. If they are not washable you may want to contact your
local needlework shop or needlework framer and ask about cleaning services so
that you do not damage your finished piece.
Home