Dirty Question

Anchor and DMC are fine. I did a very dense piece with Needle
Necessities overdyed floss, washed as usual (cause they overdye
Anchor) and LOST ALL THE OVERDYE SHADING!!! the piece is not nearly
as striking as it was before...

With respect to framing, go and look at one of the Glorafilia books.
They have the right idea to my mind: the needlework is laced to a
card (can be covered in muslin). That card is then laced to a second
piece of fabric. That second fabric is laced onto the card that fits
into the back of the frame. The needlework never touches anything
except the muslin on the first card.

I would use a very deep frame and spacers if I was using glass. I saw
professional framing of Hungarian embroidered lace with a piece of
cotton velvet for the backing. This is worth the price as it
guarantees the safety of the needlework.

The trick to cleaning if you did not use glass is to put a couple of
new nylons over the opening of your vacuum cleaner. They will keep
the threads from being snagged. Regular cleaning will keep the piece
pristine for years.

I personally make a lot more tablecloths and pillows than pictures, so
my stuff gets washed regularly. I had one bad experience with fading
from sunlight, and it takes a cat with claws to do much damage
otherwise. But I use loose tension so there is less stress on the
threads in the first place. I am now convinced that this makes a huge
difference to the lifetime of cross stitch or needlepoint.--Irene


(F.James Cripwell) wrote in message ...
This type of question comes up regularily. If, like myself and most
rctners, you use only top quality materials, such as DMC or Anchor
threads, there is no problem with washing our finished work. Personally,
I hand wash in Tide and hot water, rinse well, hang to dry, and iron on
the wrong side. If you have not used top quality materials, it would be
as well to be a little more careful.