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Care

How to Wash and Press Finished Embroidery

To wash finished embroidery, soak it briefly in cool water with a small amount of mild detergent, rinse gently without wringing, roll it in a clean towel to remove water, and dry it flat. To press it, lay it face down on a thick towel and iron from the back at a setting that suits the fabric, so the stitches sink into the towel instead of being flattened. Check your kit's care card first, test the thread colors for bleeding, and skip washing entirely if the piece is clean and only needs a press.

Many finished pieces only need a press. Wash if you need to remove water-soluble marker, stabilizer, or a mark from handling. Do not wash a piece that includes metallic thread, beads, or materials whose care you do not know, or one whose care notes say not to. Care cards for our kits are still being confirmed, so until yours is available, take the cautious route: test first and do the minimum.

Test for colorfastness first

Dampen a white cotton swab or a corner of white cloth and press it against a stitched area of each strong color, especially reds, dark blues, and deep greens. Hold it for a few seconds. If any color transfers, do not soak the piece. Spot clean only, or dip it very briefly in cold water and blot right away.

Washing step by step

Take the piece out of the hoop.
Fill a clean basin with cool water and a very small amount of mild detergent. Avoid bleach and detergents with brighteners.
Submerge the piece and let it sit for a few minutes. Swish it gently. Do not scrub the stitches, which raises fuzz.
Rinse in fresh cool water until no soap remains.
Lay it on a clean towel, roll the towel up, and press to absorb water. Do not wring.
Dry flat and face up, away from direct heat and sun, or press while it is still slightly damp.

Pressing without flattening stitches

Fold a thick towel on the ironing board and lay the embroidery face down on it.
For delicate fabric, add a thin pressing cloth on top.
Use a temperature suited to both fabric and thread. Cotton usually takes moderate heat, but check the care notes. Never iron directly over metallic thread unless its care card allows it.
Press, do not slide. Lift and lower the iron so you do not stretch the fabric.
Ease out hoop marks from the back with a little steam or a slightly damp pressing cloth.

Special cases

Dark fabric, such as the ground the Night Garden Embroidery Kit is likely to use, shows lint and iron shine more easily, so always use a pressing cloth and keep the heat moderate. A small, handled project like the Linen Bookmark Embroidery Kit benefits from a gentle press to flatten it, but because both sides show, test every color before you wet the linen. On a pictorial piece like the Botanical Embroidery Kit, pressing face down on a towel usually brings back the dimension of satin-stitched leaves that were compressed in the hoop.

Checking the result and storing the piece

Hold the piece up to the light. The fabric should be flat with no hoop rings, the stitches should still sit slightly raised, and there should be no colored halos around darker threads. If you do see a halo, rinse again in cold water right away; bleeding is easier to lift while the fabric is still wet. Let the piece dry completely before you re-hoop or frame it, since trapped moisture can leave marks behind glass or under a felt backing.

If a finished piece will wait a while before framing, store it flat between sheets of plain white tissue paper, or roll it face out around a cardboard tube so the stitches are not crushed. Avoid folding it, because a fold that runs through stitching is very hard to press out later. Keep it somewhere dry and dark, not in a sealed plastic bag where any leftover moisture can linger. Pieces you plan to give as gifts can be pressed once more just before wrapping.