Jan Hicks Creates - Basics of Cross Stitch - 7. How to Wash and Iron your Project 

That is good to know! Thank you!

Thanks so much! Glad you found this helpful. Let me know if you have any questions!

Yes, I use Best Press ALL of the time on my pieces with overdyed floss.

Oh, now that is amazing!! Have you never felt the need to wash anything? And everything from years ago looks okay?

Jan Hicks I have a cross stitch that I made 30 years ago and it looks like I just stitched it. I’m too afraid to wash anything because I’ll probably make DMC bleed! 😂

That’s a very good point, Amanda. So there wasn’t enough dye escaping while it was in the water, but enough to leech into the fabric later.

Hi Julianna! It is called Fractal Bookmark 705 and you can find it here:www.xs-collectibles.com/Fractal-705-Bookmark-cross-stitch Enjoy!

It is called Fractal Bookmark #705 from Cross Stitch Collectibles. You can find it here: www.xs-collectibles.com/Fractal-705-Bookmark-cross-stitch They have a ton of other fractal bookmarks as well as the full sized fractals. They are stunning, full coverage designs.

Wash after beading and be sure to use a nice fluffy towel for ironing.

It is a mordant for….it might be protein fibers, because that’s what many yarn dyers use on wool. But since cottons and linens are plant fibers, they would use something different. I don’t remember all of this off the top of my head at this point. Lol

@@JanHicksCreates Believe or not, I actually did some experimentation (over the decades I've tried a little of everything!) Found this list and copied and pasted it. www.allnaturaldyeing.com/mordants-fixatives/ Salt - Use salt as a fixative for cotton fabrics, thread or yarns. As a general rule you should use 1 part salt to 16 parts water. Place your dyeing medium into the salted water and simmer for about an hour to allow maximum absorption. Gently squeeze the salted water from your dyeing medium and then - whilst still wet - immerse the item into the dye bath. Tannins - Tannins occur naturally in some plants, which eliminates the need for other fixatives. These plants are indicated by an “**” mark in the colors page. Vinegar - 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Use as per salt above. Baking Soda - 1/2 cup baking soda to 1 gallon water. Simmer. Tara Powder - Cream of Tartar - Cream of Tartar is often used with an alum mordant to produce a clearer color in the final dyed product Washing Soda -

Oh goodness, how disheartening for your sister-in-law! I can certainly relate! As for your Santa, did you have any of the red threads bleed when you soaked them? If they did, hopefully all of the excess dye bled out of them. But it would still be wise to take precautions. So, use cool water and a very tiny bit of detergent. A lot of people use Dish detergent. Also, get some Shout Color Catchers. You can find those in the laundry aisle of a grocery store and put that in the water, too. I would also see if you can test a little bit of the stitching before dunking the whole thing. So, what I’m thinking is, see if you can take one of the areas of the red and dip it in the water for a short time to see if anything bleeds. I wouldn’t do an edge, because if it does, it will bleed out onto the fabric that is showing. So maybe just “tent” up a place in the middle and dunk that into the water. If that works okay, then I would say you are safe to do the whole thing. I hope this helps a little bit. Please let me know if you have any questions and how it goes! Good luck!

Different fibers do take dye differently, but it’s more about whether the dyer has set the dye or not. I think it’s the same for silk as for cotton in that respect. The bigger silk companies, like NPI or Au ver a Soie, you would be safe to wash in cold water. I would expect the hand-dyed silks, like Missus Sedas, would have more of a tendency to run. In fact, I believe she has said that hers are not colorfast.

@@JanHicksCreates Thank you. I'm learning so much with this series!!

That’s a good point. Something to discuss with the framer.

If it’s a piece that you’ve been working on for a long time, oils from your hands transfer to the fabric and threads and can cause discoloring over time. Or should one happen to spill something on a project.

@@JanHicksCreates good to know. Thank you. I am not brave enough to do it. Lol!