Stitching Dilemma!

One of the projects I am working on is called Japanese Garden. It is being stitched on 32ct Jobelan with silks and hand-dyed threads. There are specialty stitches and beads. Because of these things, I cannot wash the piece once I am done! I have been stitching on this project for over 60 hours. When it finally came time to move the scroll rods... Yikes! There is dirt and oil stains where I have handled the scroll rods. Luckily, they are on the backside of the project because I put the fabric on the rods so that it goes UNDER the scroll rods, not over. I keep my hands very clean and still I got dirt stains. :-(

Well, I racked my brains trying to come up with something that would keep the fabric clean while being "handled" during stitching. I tried wearing a white cotton glove on the non-stitching (i.e the "handling" hand). Ever try that? Talk about cumbersome!! Then I put some thought into making something. I thought I'd get some quilted fabric and make something like the scroll mittens I've seen online. I was going to hold them into place with velcro. Problem was.... I didn't feel like making them right now... LOL!

I came up witha third solution!! I went to Menards (I'm sure any hardware store has this) and bought foam pipe insulation. I chose the size with the closest diameter in the center of the insulation as my scroll rod diameter. For $2.50, four 3 ft. long pieces came in one package. I simply measured how wide I needed and used a pair of scissors and cut to size. Each length comes with a slit lengthwise, so all I had to do was slide it around the scroll rods. When I need to move the rods, I just pull the foam off. After moving the rods, put it back on. You may want to wash them with a little soap and water before starting. Be sure to let dry thoroughly! :-)

Not only will this keep my project clean, but the foam is also cushiony and makes the rods "softer" to handle since I don't use a scroll rod stand. The foam can also be kept clean by simply wiping down with a damp cloth or handy wipe.