Wrinkles

Sewing the pattern is my favourite part.  Mounting the piece afterwards is where I run into trouble (Well, so is distracting my kids enough to actually sew, but that's for another post).  Wrinkles are all over the piece and it doesn't matter how much you iron or how much you try* the wrinkles won't come out so you have to wash the piece first.**
This filled me with dread the first time...what if the colours run?  What if the stitches start coming out? To test it out I just filled a bowl with lukewarm water a little dish soap and placed the piece in for 15 minutes.   When it was still wet I ironed the back side and thenonce again when dry.  It was a definite improvement but not as neat as I would like.  The next batch will be put in the washing machine which I am dreading.  Adding laundry to a houshold with two toddlers is not ideal ***. I guess we'll see.
H xx
Husband's Notes:
*Unlike a nice steak and much like housecats, cross-stitch patterns don't take well to being hit with a tenderizing mallet, and a steamroller was impractical to fit into our apartment.
**I was afraid at first that if H dipped her cross stitch patterns in water, they would mutate and take over our town. Then I remembered that only happened with Gremlins and my worries promptly vanished.
*** Adding lots of things to a household with toddlers isn't ideal. Always remember people: No matter how responsible your toddler may look, don't trust them with your napalm. Trust me.