How to Wash Cross Stitch Embroidery
Cross stitch is certainly one of the most-used embroidery techniques. Those who love to indulge in this very relaxing and particular hobby usually decorate linen items, kits, blankets, and other fabrics with this kind of embroidery.
Cross stitching requires a lot of manual dexterity, patience, and concentration. In addition, these small masterpieces need a specific type of fabric, namely the Aida cloth. Many times, after finishing the embroidery, we don’t know how to wash the garment. In this guide, we will see together how to wash these cross-stitched fabrics without risking damaging them.
The first thing to do to make it easier to wash your cross stitch embroidery is to keep the fabric clean. We will have to wash our hands often while we do the embroidery. This way, we will avoid dirtying the Aida cloth.
We avoid using hand creams when embroidering, as they could stain it. We also protect the Aida cloth from dust, putting it in a box when we are not using it. The method of washing cross stitch embroidery varies depending on whether the fabric is white or colored.
If the embroideries are on a white canvas, we will have to put them inside a clean basin. We bathe abundantly with cold running water. We then pour a small amount of neutral laundry soap. After leaving it to soak for a few minutes, wash it gently. We will not have to rub or twist the fabric, and the embroideries could be ruined. We rinse until the water is clear.
We place the fabric between two clean towels, dabbing without wringing or folding the embroidery. It will have to dry in the shade, spread out on a flat surface, and not in direct sunlight. When we iron it, always remember to put a clean cloth between the canvas and the iron, maintaining a moderate temperature.
If, on the other hand, the Aida fabric of our cross-stitch embroidery is colored, we will have to pay more attention to the washing operations. But, then, we can proceed as we did in the previous case of the blank canvas but paying attention to the stains.
If there are stains, gently dab with a clean cloth and a mild detergent on the part to be treated. In any case, if while we carry out the cross-stitch embroidery, we keep our hands clean as much as possible, we will not need any intervention and cleaning.
