Embroidery is a “thread art” used on clothes and other items, and it embellishes the beauty of everything. Many bags are embroidered with words and pictures etc.
At once you are attracted to these embroideries but later on, you stop liking those designs on your backpack. You want to remove those beads and designs every time you look at them.
You are doing some designing work on your backpack or renewing it with your idea and suddenly you make something in the wrong way and you needed to take off some of the embroideries to make it right. But, you are not that pro at making embroidery designs and removing them.
You need not spoil your backpack by trying different strategies or your brain ideas. “How to remove embroidery from a backpack” We have put together this simple guide with simpler methods and the easiest steps that will get your job done in no time.
Read the methods stated below and find out the quickest and the one most feasible for you.
Stay with us till the end and you will get the solution to your problem.
See Also: 5 Best Fly Fishing Backpack in 2021
Table of Contents
How to remove thread embroidery from your backpack?
Removing a thread embroidery isn’t that tricky and you can get it done with only a seam ripper in your hands.
Push the needle of seam ripper through and under the embroidery and then pull out the threads that make up the design until it is completely pulled out.
Warning: Be careful before removing the stitches because redoing them can be challenging. If you are a beginner then do it under a supervision of a professional.
Tool
- Needle or seam ripper
- Tweezers/suture removers or lint rollers for removing the left-over thread
Step-by-step guide
- Step_1 – Lay your backpack on a table making sure that the embroidery design is facing upward and is visible to you. Hold your bag with one hand and make sure that another hand is free to perform the task.
- Step_2 – Grab the seam ripper with your other hand and put it through the embroidery design. Pick a point where you start unstitching the embroidery and remove the design.
- Step_3 – Repeat the unstitching process unless you are done with removing the whole design. While unpicking the design make sure that you cut both the stitch holding the embroidery design to the bag and the embroidery threads itself.
- Step_4 – Once you are done with removing the design from the outside, turn the bag inside out and look at the backside of the embroidery design. You will find some threads hanging. You can pull them out of the backpack very easily. In case, they are not fully loosened, you can again bring your seam ripper in use and cut them loose, and pull them out of the bag till it is cleared of all threads.
Precaution: This method is only applicable for handmade embroidery.
How to remove printed embroidery from your backpack?
Most backpacks are designed using the “block-printing technique” (a technique of printing patterns utilizing engraved wooden blocks) which looks very cool nowadays but after some time of use, it starts to become fade and completely disappears from some portions which look so bad. So you wanted to remove the whole design to get your backpack clean again.
We have stated the two most feasible methods that will help you in getting your job done in no time.
Method_1
For this method, you will need a
- Nail polish remover
- Cotton wool
- Piece of cloth
- Piece of wood
Step-by-step guide
Step_1 – Take a wooden piece of the size of the area of embroidery and place it behind the embroidery design.
Make sure that the printed design sits accurately on the wooden piece behind it.
Step_2 – Place a piece of cotton on the area of the covering. Make sure that the cotton piece fully covers the area of the printed design. Place your hand on the cotton pad to check whether the wooden piece is in its place.
Step_3 – Now pour about 20 ml to 30 ml of nail polish remover on the cotton wool that is placed on the embroidery design. Pour it exactly on the area covered by the printed design on the backpack. Ensure that the wooden piece is still in place.
Note: Up to 30 ml amount of nail polish remover is sufficient for soaking the cotton wool and the printed embroidery design.
Step_4 – Cover the soaked cotton pad with a piece of cloth and leave it for about ten minutes. This will allow the printed embroidery and cotton wool to soak enough of the nail polish remover.
Step_5 – After ten minutes, the embroidered design has fully soaked the nail polish remover. Remove the cloth piece and cotton piece from the backpack surface.
Step_6 – The embroidery has fully soaked the nail polish remover and will become soft. Take another piece of cotton, soak it with nail polish remover and start rubbing on the design as hard as possible.
Step_7 – After rubbing for some time you will see the print will start disappearing. Continue rubbing the printed design with nail polish remover for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes you will see that most of the portions of the design are cleared off. Keep rubbing the cotton wool on the design until it is no longer visible.
Step_8 – Keep the wooden piece under the embroidered area for maximum support as you remove the design from the backpack.
Step_9 – The location of the embroidery will not be visible but it will leave a mark that will witness that there was something. To remove these remains of print design. Rub on the embroidery location a bit more until it’s completely gone.
Step_10 – Spread your backpack in the air and allow it to dry completely. Nail polish remover evaporates quickly when exposed to air. Your backpack will dry completely in a few minutes.
You might be thinking that rubbing might tear your backpack, but you are taking it wrong. The beauty of this method is that it will never tear any portion of your backpack or never fade the color of your backpack.
This method doesn’t involve unstitching any part of your backpack and then you will have to sew it again or applique to cover the holes that were made while removing the embroidery.
Besides this is one of the cheapest methods because nail polish remover and cotton wool are must-haves in household things.
Note: You might have to use several pieces of cotton to remove the printed design with nail polish remover, so make sure that you bring plenty of cotton wool for this purpose.
Method_2
For this purpose, you need a
- Iron
- Heat-activated adhesive
- Piece of paper
Step-by-step guide
Step_1 – Take a substantial portion of heat-activated adhesive and apply it to the printed design area.
Use your finger or s stick to spread the adhesive material across the area of embroidery until it is fully covered in it and not visible to you.
Step_2 – Now take your piece of paper and place it on the area of printed embroidery that is covered in adhesive.
Make sure that only a small portion of the paper is placed on the embroidery.
Step_3 – Now heat your iron and place it on the paper and apply pressure to press the paper to the adhesive.
Move your iron over the paper covering the area of the print. The heat from the iron will activate the adhesive and causes it to stick onto the paper.
Step_4 – After some time of ironing lift the paper to check whether the embroidery is stuck onto the paper or not. If not keep ironing and checking.
Step_5 – After 5 minutes of continuous ironing, you will see that the adhesive has fully removed the embroidery designed and is stuck onto the piece of paper. Lift the paper and you are good to go now.
Precautionary measures to take while removing the embroidery from the backpack
- Choose the right method that you think is the best to go with.
- Don’t shuffle or replace the tools we have mentioned in the methods.
- Avoid using scissors to cut the threads. It is next to impossible to cut the threads using a scissor.
- Always cut the threads from the corner to give a cleaner cut, and keenly notice which thread goes first.
- Always specify your start and endpoint. If you start unpicking the stitches and forget in between then you may mess up with threads.
- Always remove the leftover threads from the backside of the embroidery for a cleaner look.
- Make sure that you work keenly, slowly, and cautiously so that you only cut the threads, not the fabric.
- If your backpack is too old and you doubt that rubbing might cause discoloration then don’t go for this method.
- While pressing the iron onto the paper make sure it is not too hot. This might burn your backpack fabric.
Frequently asked questions
Will removing embroidering leaves holes?
Well, these holes are not holes, they are the fabric of the backpack that was torn apart because of the embroider thread that got pressed through.
Unpicking the embroidery stitches can cause these holes in real and the way to get rid of them is one of the common techniques that is to iron the surface of embroidery after removing it.
Is it possible to remove embroidery and then redo it?
Obviously, yes. You can redo your work after removing it. It is obvious that while stitching or making embroidery designs we make mistakes.
Many times when you make a mistake you struggle to correct your fault. Removing embroidery is one of the methods of eliminating any kind of fault. After you are done with eliminating your mistake you can restart your work.
How can we get rid of embroidery holes?
Although embroidery marks are almost inevitable there are several techniques and one-step solutions for this problem.
For example, straightening the fiber by using iron can put these holes back in place and subtly scratch them afterward.
You can also use your fingernail to gently scratch the fiber. This will help the fiber of holes to even out again.
Can we remove the monogram or logo printed on the backpack?
Yes, you can definitely remove those logos and monograms. For this purpose head over to Method_2 in “How to remove printed embroidery from your backpack?”
Conclusion
So you made it till the end. We appreciate your determination and devotion to our article. We hope that the methods and techniques we have mentioned above might help you to get your job done.
We have mentioned different methods with the tools that are can be used in performing the steps. You can go for the one that is most feasible for you.
We appreciate the time that you have invested in reading out this article. Do let us know your thoughts on this article in the comments section below.
We wish you the best of luck with your task of removing embroidery.
Good Luck!
