Should I pre-wash fabric that I plan to hand-embroider?
#1
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Location: Connecticut
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Should I pre-wash fabric that I plan to hand-embroider?
I am in the planning stage for a family tree quilt, and intend to hand-embroider each ancestor's name on a fabric leaf, which I will then applique to the quilt top. I would prefer not to pre-wash the fabric, but I am concerned that the embroidery will become distorted if I wait until the end and wash the completed quilt. To add another wrinkle (no pun intended), I am considering using charm packs, and cutting each leaf from a pre-cut square. Am I asking for trouble if I pre-wash a charm pack? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!
The finished quilt will look something like this, if it helps to visualize... https://www.etsy.com/listing/9761983...ef=favs_view_4
The finished quilt will look something like this, if it helps to visualize... https://www.etsy.com/listing/9761983...ef=favs_view_4
#2
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Southern California
Posts: 19,127
If you felt that you have to wash the charm pack, I would hand wash them. Do you have one of the netted bags?? If you do, you could put them it in the dryer. I would then spray starch them so they have a little stiffness in them.
#3
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,538
If you are using brights on a light background, I would hand wash your squares and lay them out on white paper towels to see if you have a bleeder. If everything looks good then iron and starch them before marking, embroider your names and then cut out the shape.
Are you going to hand or machine appliqué them on?
Are you going to hand or machine appliqué them on?
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 363
Can second the use of starch - i use to be so keen to get my project on the way i would try to avoid all the prep, however I get better results when i take the time to prep and highly recommend starch as it make fabric easier to deal with when applique is involved.
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Tri-Cities, WA
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I don't know about the new stuff, but the old embroidery floss shrinks in the dryer, and puckers up all that beautiful handwork - ask me how I know! Seriously, I would at least swish all the charms around in warm water, maybe twice to get any sizing out, then dry them damp and iron them on hot to get all the shrinking done ahead of time. I wonder if you can pre-wash the floss? Or is the new floss pre-shrunk?
This is an interesting post. I haven't done any hand embroidery for years as I have arthritis in my hands, but I'm finding that a fish oil supplement (about 3-4/day) seems to help. I'd like to try it again, but I don't want to make something and have it ruined by washing. Maybe pre-make a couple of sample blocks, trying different ways of prep to see how they do.
This is an interesting post. I haven't done any hand embroidery for years as I have arthritis in my hands, but I'm finding that a fish oil supplement (about 3-4/day) seems to help. I'd like to try it again, but I don't want to make something and have it ruined by washing. Maybe pre-make a couple of sample blocks, trying different ways of prep to see how they do.
#6
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 5,967
Not only prewash but test your thread also. I just made an embroidery quilt using various colors in pearle cotton. The red ran. I had to redo two panels with red. It was DMC brand pearle cotton #5 from Jo Anns.
#8
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: North DFW
Posts: 603
I have pre-washed embroidery floss before. To keep it from tangling, I threaded it through some plastic canvas, swished it through hot soapy water, rinsed and hung it up to dry. (Shame on me but it's still on the canvas. I have a pattern for a redwork quilt and didn't want the floss to run. Someday, sigh.)
#9
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 9
I don't know about the new stuff, but the old embroidery floss shrinks in the dryer, and puckers up all that beautiful handwork - ask me how I know! Seriously, I would at least swish all the charms around in warm water, maybe twice to get any sizing out, then dry them damp and iron them on hot to get all the shrinking done ahead of time. I wonder if you can pre-wash the floss? Or is the new floss pre-shrunk?
This is an interesting post. I haven't done any hand embroidery for years as I have arthritis in my hands, but I'm finding that a fish oil supplement (about 3-4/day) seems to help. I'd like to try it again, but I don't want to make something and have it ruined by washing. Maybe pre-make a couple of sample blocks, trying different ways of prep to see how they do.
This is an interesting post. I haven't done any hand embroidery for years as I have arthritis in my hands, but I'm finding that a fish oil supplement (about 3-4/day) seems to help. I'd like to try it again, but I don't want to make something and have it ruined by washing. Maybe pre-make a couple of sample blocks, trying different ways of prep to see how they do.
#10
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 9
If you are using brights on a light background, I would hand wash your squares and lay them out on white paper towels to see if you have a bleeder. If everything looks good then iron and starch them before marking, embroider your names and then cut out the shape.
Are you going to hand or machine appliqué them on?
Are you going to hand or machine appliqué them on?
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