Once you have put so much work into creating a master piece of beautiful stitchery, you need to clean your cross stitch and iron your project before framing. This is often one of the most challenging and nerve-wracking tasks a stitcher needs to do. After all, what if the colours run, or the stitches pull or come loose. There just seems to be such a long list of scary outcomes that could come from messing with your stitching once it’s complete. But I’m here to help you get through this challenge with ease.
There are a few steps that you should take before you even begin stitching to ensure a good outcome every time. The first is to prewash your material and threads. If you are using good quality materials then often the risk here isn’t overly high but I never feel it is one worth taking. Using a cold water bath I always soak my material and threads to ensure the colours are fast and will not run once I’ve stitched.
The one cavate here is if you are using specialty threads like wool, or silk or hand dyed. In these cases you should follow all manufactures recommendations for pre or post washing. The same for hand dyed or specialty materials. Washing these could cause a loss in pattern or colour but most companies will provide care information when you purchase from them so pay attention to any small print and know the materials you are using.
Step 1 – Rinse in cold water
After your stitching is complete and you are ready to finish your project, the first step to cleaning your cross stitch is to rinse it well in cold water. If you’ve done this to your threads and material before you began stitching this is just a final step to ensure that the colours are fast and will not stain when you wash and soak your piece.
Step 2 – Wash in soapy water
In a bowl or clean sink place your piece in soapy water. The soap you use could be a specific soap designed for cleaning stitching which is available at most stitching specialty stores or even on amazon, or it could be a mild detergent such as dish soap. You should soak your piece for up to an hour in this water, swish it around and if you spot any stains or dirt marks you can use a soft scrub brush (a toothbrush works well) to wash away the stain. Do not vigorously scrub your stitching as this will pull and stretch your stitches.
Step 3 – Rinse and dry
Once you’ve wash and soaked your item, you can remove it from the soapy water and rinse it with cool clean water until these is no sign of soap. The place the item on a dry clean towel and roll it up to help absorb a good portion of the water. The idea is that you want your piece to remain damp but not soaking wet. Never twist or wring out your item even in the towel as this will also stretch and change the shape of your material and stitches.
Step 4 – Iron your item
After the item is partially dried, lay it out, face down, on a fresh clean dry towel. You are ready to press your project! Using an iron on medium heat you can work the back of the item until all the creases are smooth and the piece is dry. Keeping on a soft surface such as a clean towel will help to ensure that you don’t damage the stitches or any beading or specialty knots you might have in your item.
Step 5 – Your item is ready for finishing – Enjoy!
Now that you’ve completed the steps to clean your cross stitch, it is ready to be finished however you choose. You can sew it into a pillow or other decorative item, take it to a framers and display it on your wall or store it away between two clean towels in a cupboard until you figure out who to gift it two or how to complete it like most of my projects end up!
However you chose to finish your piece, you now have the steps and knowledge you need to prepare any cross stitch item for the final stage of it’s journey!
