I ask as i am afraid to wash my finished works as i tried once and managed to make part of the fabric turn yellow and it took me ages to find a frame that would cover my error!
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated :D:D:D
I always wash my finished work as the fabric becomes quite dirty. I soak it in lukewarm water with washing powder. I then rinse it in lukewarm water as well and dry it flat.
I tend to wash the majority of my finished works. I will hand wash them in warm water with washing powder and a thorough warm rinse. Then iron whilst still wet face down on a thick towel.
I wash mine as well. I use a gentle detergent - one that is designed for dedicates. Hand wash them in lukewarm water and I roll them in a towel to dry. When they are just damp then I iron them on a low steam setting to get out any remaining creases or wrinkles. I always use a press cloth to iron so that the iron never touches the fabric :-)
I wash my finished pieces in Synthrapol-- its the same stuff dyers rinse their newly-dyed floss and fabric in. It has something in it that keeps released dye molecules from settling back into the fabric so even if a floss bleeds, it doesnt stain!
You can buy it from any online supplier that sells Jacquard or Procion dyes or from any good art supply store that sells dyes.
I have always used Woolite, it is very gentle & Ive never had any problems, it seems to clean my work just fine by swishing it around & letting it soak for awhile.
I was given a piece that was improperly stored and very aged and I thought permanently stained. My friend gave me some liquid for babys wash and it got all the stains out and it was sweet smelling when done. It was very gentle and the colours didnt bleed. I was very pleased with the end results of this piece.