Cleaning embroidered pillows

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Cleaning embroidered pillows

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1norabelle414
Mai 30, 2019, 9:59 am

I have inherited several throw-pillows that were hand-embroidered by my great-grandmother. They have not been well-maintained, so I'd like to clean them. Does anyone have any advice?

Currently my tentative plan, after I do some more research and spot-test for colorfastness, is to soak them in water with gentle hand-wash detergent and then air dry them outside.

I am pretty sure that the fabric is linen, but I'm not sure how to tell what the embroidery thread is made of. I am a knitter but not an embroiderer. Is most embroidery thread made out of cotton?

They don't have a zipper or anything to allow easy access to the inside, and the (I assume) cotton stuffing is extremely lumpy. Might it be worth it to cut a small opening and take out the stuffing for cleaning? And then either clean the stuffing or replace it and sew it back up?

2Lyndatrue
Mai 30, 2019, 11:40 am

>1 norabelle414: I love this group, and find it fascinating, but my own interests are not the quilt-making or knitting arenas. Lucky you, though. Embroidery was always my favorite, and I have many pieces that are older even than I. Those pillows were probably embroidered with a hoop, and whatever was used for stuffing would have been common in the era, and not too expensive. You don't offer photographs, and it would be MUCH easier to comment if you'd taken pictures and posted them.

The stuffing may be anything from down (goose down, or chicken, most commonly) to lambswool discards (from shearing). It isn't horsehair, because (to my knowledge) that doesn't get lumpy. It may be cotton as well. If you remove the stuffing, it would be best to discard it, and replace it with a good quality hypoallergenic of the kind you can buy anywhere. You live (I note from your profile) in DC, which suggests that it's possible you have southern roots. What the pillows were stuffed with largely depends on what was common in your great-grandmother's day.

On to the thread. It is mostly likely cotton. It is also possible that it's silk, but that's far less likely. It may be linen. I've had an older piece or two that were sewn with linen thread (by masochists, since it tangles and breaks easily). The thread is probably colorfast, but without testing, there's no way to know what colors will run. I would just make the assumption that it's cotton. I cannot imagine going to the expense of silk embroidery thread for throw pillows.

I trust your good sense in recognizing that the pillows are linen, and remind you that (brace yourself) it may *shrink* upon washing, even in cold water, and using Woolite or similar.

I'm still hoping for photographs, however...

3norabelle414
Mai 30, 2019, 1:09 pm

>2 Lyndatrue: I don't have the pillows in my possession quite yet, I'll post pictures when I have them.

Thanks for the heads-up about shrinking linen! Since they are just decorative I don't think it'll hurt anything if they shrink a bit.

4lauralkeet
Mai 30, 2019, 2:52 pm

Lynda is the expert here. I'm just weighing in to say that once upon a time I found a dry cleaner who handled needlework projects, and used them to clean & block a needlepoint piece that I intended to make into a pillow (as an aside: this was probably 15 years ago and I still have the piece but it never made it to pillow stage, oh well). I don't remember what method they used to clean it, I just know they advertised as handling this sort of thing. So anyway, I am wondering if there's somewhere you can take the pillows to have them done, and they could advise you on whether to remove the stuffing first.

5norabelle414
Mai 30, 2019, 4:01 pm

>4 lauralkeet: I have that in the back of my mind as a last resort, but I'd like to hand-wash them if I can. I find hand-washing very satisfying!

6dudes22
Mai 30, 2019, 4:56 pm

I also had a framer that did cleaning/stretching/sewing together of needlework pieces so that might be an option also. The pieces I had were cross-stitch that I was framing but I can remember her showing me some pillows she was working on once. Or a store that sells that type of supplies (a specialty store rather than a big box type) might know someone who does it. Maybe even a knitting/yarn store.

7SassyLassy
Jun. 2, 2019, 10:50 am

Although the pillows will wind up smaller than their current size, I would go with removing the stuffing completely before washing and then replacing it as Lyndatrue suggests. It would then be easier to wash the covering and you would not have to worry about differential drying times and possible moisture damage to the inside.

Other possibilities that come to mind for the existing stuffing material are plant based like kapok and other similar plants, which were used for stuffing and would certainly get lumpy after all this time. They also get mildewy, and so my concern about the differential drying times.

As to soaking, if the thread is older and the pillows have spent their life in good light, prolonged soaking may cause some of the threads (cotton or silk) to break down, so I would go with the shortest wash time possible. As Lynda says, you are also running the risk of colour running. Perhaps if you remove the stuffing, there may be a piece of thread on the back which could be snipped off and tested, although this is unlikely. Embroiderers are usually very neat. I like the idea of air drying, but not in a strong sun.

Then you can stuff your pillows anew and sew them up for who knows how many more generations!

8Lyndatrue
Jun. 2, 2019, 11:56 am

>1 norabelle414: Just so you know, I'm waiting until you have the pillows in your possession, and can take photographs, before providing anything more than just suggestions. One of my cousins was adamant about removing the inside. She lives in a humid climate, and reminded me that insect damage (I know, I know, yuck, gross, ewwww) is a possibility, however slim.

I like the fiberfill stuff for replacement stuffing. It isn't hospitable to insects, it's hypoallergenic, and it's *washable* (not that you want to wash these pillows, just pointing it out).

I realized today that I have at least one pillowcase in my cedar chest, or otherwise packed away, that *I* did, which qualifies as old (60+ years old). I drew the pattern before I embroidered it (it was a kitten and some flowers, as I recall). I slept on it for years before I washed it, and packed it away, in long ago days.

I'd love a guess as to when you think your great-grandmother's pillows were embroidered.

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