My hand embroidery samples seem to always shrink when the finished product is washed. The red and purple colors bleed and run. What suggestions might you have?

If you aren't doing this already, I would pre-wash the fabric.

Use Synthrapol when you wash after the embroidery is finished. This will suspend any unset dye particles in water so they will rinse away instead of settling in the fabric.

Even better, pre-wash the embroidery thread in Synthrapol to release the unset dye before you do the embroidery.

Susan, what I do with my embroidery is put it in the sink with very cold water and ice. I buy Orvus soap which keeps bleeding to a very minimum. I usually let it soak for a few hours then roll the embroidered piece in a towel to get most moisture out, then let it air dry. It's always worked well for me that way. Good luck!

Thank you for suggesting Synthrapol. I will try that. I do prewash the fabric and the thread; however, that doesn't seem to help very much.....it still shrinks.

Ducky, I will try that.

where do you buy Synthrapol?

I've never had that problem soaking the finished product in woolite in the sink, rincing it out and towel dry.

Thank you everyone. I will give it a try.

i always pre-wash embroider thread. i put a pan on the stove and bring it to the boil with the thread in it. hot water will get the shrinkage out. i also use synthrapol ro set the olor. i buy my synthrapol from

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1137-AA.shtml

which is also where i get my dyes.

I am glad to read this. I had not thought about the embroidery shrinking! We put together embroidered quilts for raffle at church. We do not wash them before raffling them. I guess we should look into this! :?