How can I get hoop marks out of my finished cross-stitch?

Little care taken while working can make all the difference in the finished product. Keep the work-in-progress as clean as possible. Wash your hands before each session of stitching. Do not use an oily hand cream. If you use a hoop remove it every time you stop working, even if you just get up to answer the phone. Each time you put the hoop on the fabric, put it on in a slightly different place. At the end of each stitching session, put your needlework away in its own bag - don’t leave out for the cat to curl up on it or the kids to spill juice upon it. Don’t stuff into your purse or lunch tote. When you put your needlework away, roll it wrong side out, but fold it a different way each time, so creases are not created.

Information from Cross Country Stitching Magazine columns "Ask Judie" - Judie Solomon, Thistle Needleworks & "Carol’s Crafty Corner" - Carol Rice, The Craft Menagerie

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