Expert: Angela - 4/21/2002

Question
Hi!  I just finished working on a piece that my mother started.  She used a pencil to mark the center of the fabric.  How can I clean the piece so the colors won't run and get the pencil out?  Thanks alot!
Meghan

Answer
Hi, Meghan. :)

You would need to soak your finished piece in tepid water (not hot or warm... must be cooler than that so that the colors don't run) using a mild detergent.  Run some tepid water into a CLEAN sink or tub, pour the detergent in, swishing it around and then place the stitched piece into the water.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Return to it, and swirl the stitched piece carefully around in the water for a few minutes to loosen any dirt that the piece may have obtained.  Using a soft brush, gently brush any other soiled areas AROUND THE STITCHING that haven't come out.  Drain the water, and run cool water to rinse the soap out from the stitched piece.  Laying the piece flat on a towel, roll the stitched piece into the towel.  DO NOT WRING.  Gently press down on the towel to remove any extra water from the stitched piece.  After you have removed as much water from the finished piece as possible, lay the picture face down on an ironing board (the back of the stitching needs to be facing you).  Using a cooler setting than cotton on the iron, iron the stitching to get the wrinkles out.  You may iron over the stitching itself, providing you haven't used any specialty threads.  IF you have used any braid, metallic threads, or blending filament, or beads in your stitching, DO NOT iron over them.  The heat of the iron will melt the the blending filament or any other metallic threads, and will ruin your finished design.  After you have completed your ironing (this shouldn't take you more than a couple of minutes, if that, to get the wrinkles out), lay your design on a flat surface to air dry.  DO NOT PUT IN THE DRYER.  You're done! :)

I hope this has helped you.  Happy stitching! :)

Sincerely,
Angela