Removing tiny stitches
 

I accidentally quilted a lamb outline upsidedown on my brand new baby grandson’s quilt. It is one of 4 center images , and tge other 3 are upright. Trouble is, the stiches are quite tight FMQ’ed). How do you remove them without damaging the fabric?

Very carefully! A good light. A good seam ripper, a tweezer, and maybe a very pointy tiny scissor. I had this issue this week. I did it. Took a while. I worked from the front and back.

There are a few ways of approaching this problem. You cam try to cut every few stitches from the back using your seam ripper and then pull up the other thread. Or you could try to 'skin' the quilt. You lift the backing and carefully cut the stitches using a seam ripper (I have never tried it with anything else but I suppose a very sharp small scissors might work). It is fixable. Just take a few deep breaths, forget who this quilt is for(because emotion can derail all your efforts) and fix your oopsie.

I have a pair of scissors with curved blades that work very well for this purpose. I first use the blades to clip every for or five stitches. Then, I start at the edge and lift the edge and clip the remaining stitches gently. You can't be in a hurry! But, it can be done. Be encouraged by those of us who have been there and done that.

if you can't get the stitches out easily, you might think of leaving them. then doing the stitches right side up too! would make it interesting and cute. Think on it.

There is a video that Natalia Bonner put out on you tube that has been a life saver with this very issue. I just took out some tiny stitches and it took about 10 minutes. Good luck.

I keep a fine tapestry/cross-stitch needle handy, and use it to go in under a stitch, pull it up, and snip.
Then continue carefully along the stitches, doing the same for each.
Sometimes once I get started, the others come out fairly easily.

If your stitches join onto FMQing that you want to keep, try to start in the midst of your work,
so that you can have top/bottom threads long enough at each end to tie off and bury,
to protect the work you are keeping.

Good Luck ..... and {{hugs}} to those GrandLambs! :)

Thank you Maria, I have just watched theNatalia Bonner YouTube video. Wow, does she make it look painless?

I wonder if anyone here uses that technique, if the quilt is not held tightly on a long arm? Any tips on anchoring it against the pull of the thread in your left hand?

I watched the video. Amazing! Thanks for posting.