Expert: Henry Babcock - 10/27/2007

Question
i have a picture that i got after my grandmother passed away that she had sewn with neddlepoint it was white once and now is yellow and has brown water spots on it. I wanted to give it to my mom for a christmas present but wanted to clean it and get the stains out of it before i gave it to her. There's no places around where i live to take it and was hoping i could do it myself. Any advice please e-mail me at the address listed.

Thank you,

Janel

Answer
Janel,

If you wish to clean the piece yourself, I have been directing people to some very detailed instructions about cleaning needlepoint that appear on the American Needlepoint Guild website:

www.needlepoint.org/FAQ/stitching.php#washandblock

If you find the process to be more than you are willing to undertake, you can send needlepoint out to professionals to have the job done.  Try searching online for "needlepoint cleaning" or "needlepoint rug cleaning".  You should find several services available that will help you in getting that piece cleaned for your mom's gift.

Hope this helps,

Henry Babcock
AllExperts Needlepoint Expert