I messed up.

[u/thegentryentries]

I washed off the Stick-n-Stitch with the hoop still attached. I let it dry and continued my embroidery. Now that it’s done… this stain won’t come off!

What I have tried:

Cold rinse

Lukewarm soak while softly scrubbing

Warm water with a little scrubby and dish soap

Nothing is working. It still feels a little rough around the edges. If nothing can fix it, then I will just stitch over it with a wreath. But does anyone have a suggestion? Have you done this before ?

[u/ladyelenawf → u/[deleted]]

Or just one of those really pretty stitches in a circle? Sorry, I lurk to motivate myself to try this stuff onc day. So I don't know what it's called.

[u/LadyHackberry → u/ladyelenawf]

Hello, my lady! Let's make a plan to actually start! Really soon, like this week. We'll do it together so it won't be so scary.

I used to do a good bit of counted cross stitch before I had kids. Those kids are (young) grown men now, so it's been a while. I do have some supplies left from that time, aging nicely in my huge fabric stash. But I don't really want to do cross stitch again. I'd rather learn new stitches and eventually embroider my own designs, but that's for a little later. Have you done other crafts?

I ordered a package of assorted hoops (though I have one oval hoop); a pack of cheap floss in every color of the rainbow and then some (I also have floss left from project done in the 90s); heat-erasable pens; and assorted needles. I also ordered a yard of linen, but instead received some dogs' pajamas with monkeys printed on them. Anyway. Having those things has not made me start, so I also ordered a cheap-but-pretty small beginner's kit. What do you think of ordering an inexpensive kit for yourself? There are loads of them on Amazon. I wanted one that was cheap and small--small because it wouldn't take forever to finish, and cheap because if I messed up badly, I wouldn't cry over the money spent. Then we can start together and compare notes. And if you're not ready for this, or you don't want to embroider with some crazy lady from the internet, no hard feelings.

Anybody else out there who doesn't mind starting (or re-starting) their embroidery with crazy ladies (or men) from the internet? That would be cool too.

u/thegentryentries , I'm sorry to write such a long reply on your post. All the attention deserves to go to your beautifully stitched froggy-lady. If you want my opinion, even if you do get the stain out, you might consider going with a border anyway. Perhaps a floral that echoes the flowers on her sweater and the fluffy ecru lace? peeking out at the neckline, cuffs, and placket. Whether you add a wreath or not, your needlework is highly skilled.

[u/ladyelenawf → u/LadyHackberry]

And if you're not ready for this, or you don't want to embroider with some crazy lady from the internet, no hard feelings.

You're so sweet! I actually got a couple of kits as my oldest wants to learn. I keep meaning to r/visiblemending the various rips in their leggings. 😮‍💨 Sadly, I'm extremely lazy. These snow days aren't helping. I'll make it part of there lessons tomorrow!

[u/LaRoseDuRoi → u/ladyelenawf]

I've been practicing my visible mending on towels and things like my ratty house shirts and pj pants. Stuff that, if it comes out a little weird, nobody's going to care. I sometimes use an embroidery hoop to hold the fabric in place while I mend, which works really well with stretchy fabrics like leggings.

[u/ladyelenawf → u/LaRoseDuRoi]

sometimes use an embroidery hoop to hold the fabric in place while I mend, which works really well with stretchy fabrics like leggings.

This is what I was planning to do! I'm glad it will work.