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My DD had been stitching for ages on a very tricky (for her) piece, which sadly got wet when we had a burst pipe, leaving it with water stains. It breaks my heart to think she put so much work into it to have it ruined like that. I have tried soaking it in warm soapy water, but to no avail. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking of trying one of those colour-run products, but am a bit worried that it may be too strong for the floss dyes. Any advice gratefully received!

Is "Dawn" dishwashing liquid available in the UK? I used it to remove the water stain from my "Elegant Kimono" piece after a water leak from the apartment above me. It powered out the stain without damaging the DMC, Kreinik, Maderia, or silk Mori in the piece.

Hello

Are we talking DMC/Anchor, or are they speciality/hand dyed threads.
And what is the fabric, is it hand dyed ?
DMC or Anchor are generally ok with a normal sort of wash. As is normal cotton aida.

It's normal aida and DMC threads.

mig-3, I think it might be available over here, I'm sure I saw it mentioned in one of my recent stitching mags. I'll have a look - thanks

Hi there, my toddler picked up a really large disney princess peice I was making for my daughters room with curry on his hands. I did actually cry real tears. My husband got some hand wash solution and disolved some powdered stain remover in with it and gently pressed (dabbed) the stain out of the aida. My advice is to just keep dabbing at it untill it comes out. My heart is with her, I know how gutting it is when you have worked long and hard on something.

I usually wash all of my finished pieces in the wash machine on a gentle cycle with liquid Tide and a small load of gentle cycle cloths. It takes out most everything. But be sure you have sewn the edges so they don't frey on you.

Rose wrote:I usually wash all of my finished pieces in the wash machine on a gentle cycle with liquid Tide and a small load of gentle cycle cloths. It takes out most everything. But be sure you have sewn the edges so they don't frey on you.

Really Rose? I wouldn't be able to breath with fear if I did that, though I wish I had the guts because my stuff gets really dirty! Has anything ever happened to it? What are gentle cycle cloths?

I have always washed my project and (Knock on wood) for the 25+ years I have been stitching I have never had any problems with the finished result. Usually a load I wash with would be my satin pajamas, a knitted sweater anything that needs a light cycle wash. But I have also used towels as a filler just so I have a load and can get the finished project washed.

Also I NEVER throw them in the dryer to dry. In the summer they are hung out on the clothes line and pulled straight to get as many of the wrinkles out as possible. In the winter if it is raining or just to cool to dry on the line I then lay them out flat on a clean towel rub them out flat and put them some place the cats can't get to.

Thanks for that Rose!

We also have the topic discussed by all at the top of this section you may find a few more tips in there if you care to browse through it.

Well, I've tried everything I can think of now. I've tried machine washing with Vanish spray-on stain remover on, I've tried Vanish liquid stain remover and then washed again - nothing is shifting this stain. I think it has faded slightly, but that's about all.

However, I think it can still be salvaged. The stain is on the bottom edge of the fabric, just under the design. With some careful matting and framing, I might be able to hide most of it. I will just have to see if DD wants to carry on with it now, or if she'll just still see it as "ruined"

How disappointing for you Laura. Here's hoping it can be hidden under the matting.

Squirrel

I've had a bit of a look around online and the suggestions I've come across are either try washing it with a little white vinegar (give it a rinse first maybe to make sure the Vanish is definitely all out of there, just in case of reactions), or try dry cleaning it. Obviously if you're able to cover it though it doesn't matter so much

That sucks. I really hope for your daughter that you can salvage it with frame and mat. I'd hate to see her get discouraged.

Vanish, used carefully, might do the trick. I've also used White Wizard, which you can get from Lakeland. It's a paste, and is wonderful. Sorted out a whiskey stain (don't ask; there's a thread here about it somewhere!).

I hope your DD will still feel proud of her work, especially in you manage to find a good mat that will set off the project while hiding the stain!