How-to guide
How to iron embroidery without flattening the stitches
Yes, you can iron embroidery. Lay it face down on two or three folded towels, mist the back or cover it with a damp pressing cloth, and press with a warm iron, lifting and setting it down instead of sliding. The towels cushion the stitches so they stay raised. Rinse out any sheet or pen lines first.
Can you iron embroidery? Should you?
You can, and for a finished piece you should, once. The moment is right after the final rinse, while the linen is still slightly damp. Damp linen smooths easily, and a good press is what makes a stitched portrait look finished instead of homemade.
Press the bare linen before you start stitching, too. Creases come out of plain fabric in seconds. Around finished stitches they take far more care. After that, a hoop on the wall shouldn't need an iron again.
The whole trick is padding. Ironed face up on a hard board, stitches get squashed flat and shiny. Face down on soft layers, they sink into the padding and come out raised.
How to iron embroidery, step by step
- Rinse first. If you stitched through a stick and stitch sheet or traced with a washable pen, rinse it all out and let the piece dry until it's just damp. Removing stick and stitch has the rinse.
- Pad the board. Fold 2 or 3 smooth, clean towels flat on the ironing board. Flour-sack towels or an old pillowcase work well. Skip textured or loopy towels.
- Lay it face down. Put the embroidery stitches-down on the towels, so they press into the padding instead of being crushed.
- Dampen the back. Mist the back lightly with water, or lay a damp pressing cloth over it. Slightly damp fabric smooths far better than dry.
- Start warm. A warm iron is kind to finished work. The cotton setting suits linen and cotton floss if creases won't shift, but turn it up gradually, not all at once.
- Press, don't slide. Set the iron down, hold it a moment, lift it, and move to the next spot. Sliding drags the weave and can pull stitches out of line.
- Check and dry flat. Turn it over. The stitches should stand up from the linen. Let it finish drying flat before you hoop or frame it.
When you peel the piece off the towels, you'll see the dog pressed into the padding. That's the sign the stitches kept their shape.
Getting hoop marks out
- A crease ring where the hoop sat.
- Mist it and press it from the back, the same way. A plain crease usually relaxes with a little damp and heat.
- A grey, dirty-looking ring.
- That's hand oil and dirt, not a crease, and an iron won't lift it. Hand-wash the piece in lukewarm water with a little mild soap, rinse well, then press it damp. Not sure your black floss is colorfast? Do the rinse test on a snip first.
- Shiny patches on the linen.
- The iron touched the fabric directly or ran too hot. Use a pressing cloth, keep the heat lower, and press from the back.
- Stitches look flat.
- It was pressed face up or on a hard surface. Next time, add more padding and always press from the back.
The best fix for hoop marks is not getting them. Take the fabric out of the hoop when you stop for the day, and wash your hands before each sitting. A dirty ring is much harder to get out than a crease.
When not to iron
- Over a stick and stitch sheet. It's made to dissolve in water, and it never goes under an iron. Rinse it away first.
- Over washable pen lines you haven't rinsed out. Rinse first, then press, so you can see the lines are really gone.
- Over heat-erasable pen lines, expecting them gone for good. Heat makes them vanish, but they can come back if the piece gets very cold, so make sure your stitches cover them.
- On hot glue. If the back of a hoop is glued, keep the iron well away from it.
- Face up, with no padding. Ever. It's the one way to flatten stitches you can't easily undo.
Ironing embroidered clothes
Turn the garment inside out and press the back of the embroidery on folded towels, the same way. Iron the rest of the garment as usual, steering around the stitched area. For anything you wash often, a pressing cloth between the iron and the fabric keeps the stitches from going shiny over time.
Questions people ask
Can you iron embroidery?
Yes. Lay it face down on two or three folded towels, dampen the back, and press with a warm iron, lifting and setting it down. The padding keeps the stitches raised.
Should you iron embroidery?
Once, after the final rinse, while the linen is slightly damp. It's what makes a finished piece look crisp. A hoop on the wall doesn't need ironing again.
How do you get hoop marks out of fabric?
A crease ring usually comes out if you mist it and press from the back. A grey ring from hand oil needs a gentle hand-wash first. Unhooping between sessions prevents both.
Do you iron embroidery face up or face down?
Face down, on soft padding. Face up, the iron flattens the stitches and can make them shiny.
What temperature should you iron embroidery at?
Start warm and only go hotter if the creases won't move. The cotton setting suits linen and cotton floss. A damp pressing cloth protects the fabric if you need more heat.
Sources: Needle 'n Thread: How to iron embroidered goods · DMC: Cleaning and washing finished work · Needle 'n Thread: A hoop tip, keeping things clean