Preparing your fabric

Preparing your fabric

Wash and iron the fabric to remove marks/creases and pre-shrink.  Note:  If you have purchased your fabric with a pre-printed outline some shrinkage may occur so it is not recommended that you wash it as it will distort the printed outline. You can press the fabric with a medium iron to remove creases. If you need to wash it after stitching follow the instructions for blocking your embroidery.

Make sure you cut your fabric on the grain, so it does not distort in the hoop.  To do this you can pull a thread at right angles as shown below.  

If your piece of fabric is slightly too small for your hoop or frame, you can extend it by cutting strips and sewing them around the edges.  There is a great video here that shows you how to do this - compliments of London Embroidery School.

Caring for your fabric

It is always a good idea to keep your embroidery clean whilst stitching. You can keep it inside a pillowcase or cotton drawstring bag to prevent dust or marks forming. 

Washing your fabric

Should you need to wash your embroidery here is the method:  Hand wash in warm water with a mild soap - I use Castille. Rinse in clean warm water at least twice to remove all soap residue. Roll up in a clean fluffy towel to remove excess moisture, then block your embroidery to remove creases. 

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