When I recently worked on an embroidery with silk floss, I found my hands constantly sticking to the thread and very nearly ruining previously made stitches. I like to think that my hands are beautifully soft and smooth, but anyone who has stitched (or knit, or spun) with silk will be nodding along in agreement: it just sticks to absolutely any tiny flaw or rough spot, ones you had no idea were there!
Experienced silk workers will probably have favorite lotions they swear by, but I found that lotion needed reapplying frequently and I worried that the build-up would leave residue on my delicate embroidery. My solution: sugar scrub! Before sitting down to my stitching every day, I gave my hands a hearty sugar scrubbing - the abrasive sugar smooths rough spots and the oils soften the skin. It worked like a charm!
You can easily make your own sugar scrubs with just a few ingredients and a tiny amount of money. And even better - you can make yours in whatever scent you like most - lemon, vanilla, lavender, or anything you can dream up. (Pinterest is chock-full of recipe links!)
What are you stitching? Please share in the &Stitches Flickr group. We'd love to see it!
Oh good advice! I have some silk I've been nervous to use, but I might just whip up a batch of sugar scrub and try it out.
ReplyDeleteI found a recipe on Pinterest for a green tea scrub that I might need to make!
Yay, I'm glad that helped! I found it invaluable when using silk, and could be something to keep in mind for working on any delicate fabrics as well. Those materials can be so fussy! :)
DeleteThis is such a good idea! I've had similar problems, and I'm always hesitant to put on lotion right before stitching because I worry about leaving residue on the fabric.
ReplyDelete