Stitch Your Dogby Make It Yours

How-to guide

How to remove stick and stitch (no residue)

Trim the extra sheet just outside your stitches, then soak the piece in lukewarm water, about 104°F, for 5 to 10 minutes. Swish it gently without rubbing, finish under the running tap, then roll it in a towel and dry it flat. If it feels stiff once dry, rinse it again.

By Stitch Your Dog · Updated

Before you get it wet

Take a breath. Rinsing is the easy part, and plain lukewarm water won't hurt linen or cotton floss. Two quick checks first, and they're the only things that can catch you out.

  • Test your black floss. Wet a snip of the same floss and let it dry on a white paper towel. If any color comes off, you find out now, not in the bowl. (Best of all, do this before you start stitching.)
  • Check for missed stitches. Hold the hoop up to a window. A skipped dot shows right away, and it's easier to add one while the sheet still marks the line.

Step by step

  1. Trim the extra sheet. Cut the sheet away around your design, staying just outside the stitches. Less sheet means less glue to dissolve and a faster rinse.
  2. Soak it. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water, about 104°F, comfortably warm on your wrist. Lay the piece in with the stitched area under water. You can leave it in the hoop.
  3. Wait 5 to 10 minutes. Stir the water now and then. The sheet softens, turns cloudy and melts away on its own.
  4. Swish, don't rub. Move the fabric gently through the water. Rubbing roughs up the thread and pushes glue into the weave.
  5. Finish under the running tap. Hold it under a lukewarm running tap before it leaves the water for the last time. Dissolved glue and ink float in the bowl and can settle back onto the linen on the way out.
  6. Roll it in a towel. Take it out of the hoop, lay it on a clean towel, roll it up and press. Never wring it.
  7. Dry flat, then press. Lay it face up, out of the sun, until it's just a little damp. Then press it face down on 2 or 3 folded towels on the cotton setting. Lift and set the iron down instead of sliding it, so the stitches stay raised.

If it doesn't come out clean

It's still sticky or stiff after drying.
There's glue left in the weave. Wet it again and rinse under lukewarm running water for a few minutes, then dry it flat. A second rinse is normal after a short soak.
Grey lines or dots still show.
Printer ink can cling to the fibers. Soak it again for 5 minutes and rinse under the tap. Patience works better than scrubbing. Next time, print on the lightest ink setting.
A cloudy film dried around the stitches.
That's dissolved sheet that dried in place. A longer soak and a thorough rinse under running water clears it.
The black thread ran onto the linen.
Rinse it right away under cool running water until the water runs clear, and lay it flat to dry. Don't let it dry with the color in it. Testing a wet snip first prevents this.
The linen came out wrinkled.
Press it face down on folded towels while it's still slightly damp. Dry linen is much harder to smooth, so wet it again if you need to.

Hot or cold water?

Lukewarm. Water around 104°F dissolves the sheet well and is gentle on linen and floss. Hot water isn't needed, and it makes any loose dye more likely to run. Cold water works too, just more slowly.

Stuck dots right under a stitch are the slowest to go. Give them a second short soak rather than picking at them with a needle.

Washing your embroidery later

Once the sheet is gone, a finished hoop rarely needs washing. If it gets dusty, a soft, clean brush is enough.

If it ever needs a real wash, take it out of the hoop and hand-wash it in lukewarm water with a little mild soap. Rinse it well, roll it in a towel, and dry and press it the same way: flat, then face down on towels. Then re-hoop and finish it.

Questions people ask

Why is my fabric still sticky after rinsing?

Some glue is still in the weave, usually after a short soak or a rinse in the bowl only. Wet it again, rinse it under lukewarm running water, and let it dry flat.

How long do you soak it?

5 to 10 minutes in lukewarm water, stirring now and then, then a rinse under the running tap. A big piece of leftover sheet may need a second soak.

Hot or cold water?

Lukewarm, about 104°F, comfortably warm on your wrist. It dissolves the sheet well without stressing the linen or the floss.

How do you dry it without wrinkles?

Roll it in a towel to press the water out, dry it flat until it's just damp, then press it face down on folded towels on the cotton setting, lifting the iron instead of sliding it.

Will black floss bleed?

Good floss usually doesn't, but test a wet snip on a white paper towel before you start. If it ever runs, rinse it under cool running water until the water is clear.

Sources: Wandering Threads: How to use stick & stitch transfer paper · Sulky: Getting marks off fabric after soaking · DMC: Cleaning and washing finished work · Needle 'n Thread: How to iron embroidered goods