Washing and Cleaning Your Projects
One of the best ways to keep your
work clean is to always make sure your hands are clean before you start to work
on your project. When you are not
stitching, it’s best to keep the fabric off the hoop and sealed in either a
plastic bag, or a craft bag. It's always best to roll up your projects instead of folding them. Creases caused from folding are more difficult to iron out! Also, it’s
best not to have any hand creams on your hands while working-just in case!
If when you finish your project,
you find that it’s not as clean as it should be, or if a stain happens during
your course of stitching, follow some of the ideas below. There’s nothing worse than after many hours
of working on a project, finding a dirt mark, smudge or stain!
Washing-
Please keep in mind,
that some items are unsuitable for washing.
Hand dyed threads, silks and some types of beads cannot be put through a
washing. Some colors (like reds) could
run. It’s best to use high quality
threads so you will not run into that problem.
Always use either cold or
lukewarm water to clean your project-and always do it by hand, not the washing
machine! Only use very mild detergent
and only swirl in the water. Never scrub
or ring out. Doing so may loosen some threads.
Remember to rinse several times after the washing to make sure all soap
residue has been removed.
Roll the fabric up in a clean
white towel, then press down to allow the towel to absorb as much water as
possible. When finished, lay the fabric
on another dry, clean, white towel and iron the backside only on warm
heat. Only use a dry iron, never use
steam, and keep the iron constantly moving.
This will help further dry your project and help keep any creases from
forming. Once the fabric is smoothed
out, lay it out flat to air dry thoroughly.
Stain Removal
Unfortunately, stains happen and
the best way to remove them is to do so immediately!
1. If there is something solid on it, gently scrape it off first.
2. If something is spilled on your fabric, immediately soak up any excess by patting it with a white cloth.
3. Work from the back side of the fabric, starting with the outside of the stain and working towards the middle.
Some of the best cleaning agents to use are usually readily available in
your kitchen cabinets. You’ll soon
realize that your grandmother wasn’t crazy!
Salt
Salt is best to remove blood
stains. Dissolve salt in cold water and
soak the affected area. Rise area
thoroughly, then blot dry with a clean white cloth. White vinegar can also be
used for this purpose.
Lemon Juice
Is best to use to remove ink or rust. Just lay the fabric on a clean, white cloth or paper towel, then pour the lemon juice on the affected area. Let dry, then wash as stated above.
White Vinegar
Is great to use to remove a number of stains including coffee and tea. Soak a clean, white cloth with the vinegar, dab the stain, then wash as stated above. White vinegar is also useful in cleaning dried stains and older projects that may have yellowed over time.