Video Class - Washing Your Crochet Inspired Embroidery Block

Washing Your Crochet Inspired Embroidery Blocks

Of all the techniques we have developed for Crochet Inspired Embroidery this washing technique is the most important. Designing the perfect embroidery design doesn't matter much if your pieces come out feeling like a clump of glue and thread.

In all of our searches to we could not find any clear answer on how to remove water-soluble stabilizer from any unit it was used on. So it fell to us to develop a technique that was safe, easy to implement, non-toxic, and that would remove enough water-soluble stabilizer as to not notice it had ever been used.

We attempted to use vinegar, gentle soaps, ammonia (DO NOT DO THIS) and many other additives but nothing helped achieve our goals. After a few months of testing and piles of ruined embroidery pieces we found exactly what we were looking for.

In the end we developed a washing system that only takes heat, water and time. It is very gentle and will not harm the units that you use it on.

Washing Technique:

1. Using a large bowl in your sink rinse the embroidery units under warm or hot water. Repeat this three to four times until the majority of the exposed water-soluble stabilizer has been rinsed off.
2. Fill your slow cooker with water and place the Silicone Roast Rack in the bottom.
3. Place your embroidery units in the slow cooker.
4. Set your timer for three to four hours and set the heat to low. Depending on your slow cooker you may need to set it to high. A low simmer is acceptable but try to keep it from a rolling boil.
5. Drain the hot water from the slow cooker and refill it with new clean warm water. I like to do a few rinses and agitate the units gently to help release the previous water from the units.
6. Repeat this cycle four times. This is very important. Each cycle with with clean water removes more and more of the water-soluble stabilizer.
7. After the fourth cycle remove your units from the slow cooker and place them on a towel to dry.

Class Supply List:

1. Slow Cooker
   • We have found that a slow cooker with a capacity six quarts or more works best.
   • We recommend a slow cooker with a timer and heat control built in.
2. Silicone Roast Rack
   • This is used to keep the embroidery units from direct contact with the sides or bottom of the container.
3. A Large Bowl for Pre-Washing
4. Sink with a drain
5. Hot Water for Pre-Washing