Washing Out Persistent Outlines

Washing Out Persistent Outlines

Along the recommendation of my advisor, I dissolved curtains-full detergent in lukewarm water for my washing test

and submerged the prepared embroidery for a pre-wash.

The pencil traces can be clearly seen in the moistened fabric.

The embroidery remained in the soapy water for two days. From time to time I agitated it slightly with a wooden tool.

Then the wash started. It would be a lie to say that all colour disappeared without any intervention.
I first kept the embroidery under a jet of water. As a result, the colour gave way only minimally. I had to rub the coloured areas between my thumbs – but really only lightly and for a short time.

The lines that were not embroidered over disappeared immediately, the others dissolved after a very short time.

Dried and ironed the embroidery turned out bright white.

Encouraged by this success, I looked for a piece of linen with a design transferred in a particular way and with a particularly permanent colour

and embroidered it.

The finished embroidered piece was submerged into the soapy water, the blue colouration appears very clearly due to the outlines.

After two days of soaking, the soapy water was slightly heated, and the embroidery in it was agitated for a short time.

Then the wash started.
I had to rub the coloured areas between my thumbs. The blue colour dissolved very soon by continuing to rub. Nevertheless, I briefly boiled the embroidery in the soapy water to make the linen shrink.

What was left was impeccably pure embroidery, which radiates simple elegance after ironing.

In Germany we have a couple of different curtain detergents. So far I could not test all, but I know that DATO and Hoffmann´s Gardinenwaschmittel work.

Which special curtain detergents are available in your country? Have you performed any experiments in washing out design outlines? Please share your knowledge by leaving a comment.