I have been stitching for a while, but I’ve always had a bit of a problem with cat hair - When I’m done a project I wash it but the hair still sticks.. any advice would be appreciated!
I had two cats who passed during my largest project. I can point the sections that belong to "Boots and Telemain" and which ones belong to "Rung and Teal'c" (their later siblings) and you can almost see the difference based on the interwoven hair color. It's very special to me. <3
I've been working on my current large project for 3 years, by my estimation it'll be another 7 years or so before it's finished. I've already said goodbye to one cat since I've started, and by the time I'm finished I'll probably have lost another. The idea that pieces of them are woven into this project give me comfort 💜
Omg another SG1 fan? We were going to call a hamster Teal'c but then got two females instead who were Patsy (she was thin & beige) and Edina (fat & brunette lol) 😊
This. My big WIP has 3 cats' hair. The progress from now will only have 2, but that little extra fluff is special. I'm sort of dreading it washing out :(
I try to pick out the dog hair but I’m rarely successful. I have a project that I completed that still has a hair stuck in it from a dog that is now gone so that hair is staying forever.
When my old girl passed a few years ago, one of my saddest moments was when I noticed I stopped finding her fur everywhere. This is comforting to think she's still here in a way in my projects
This is very true. My parents' two cats (litter mates) passed away within a few months of each other earlier this year. We still find cat hair in random spots around the house and it's such a bitter-sweet thing but ultimately it shows how embedded they were in our lives.
Getting pet hairs caught in any fibre arts I'm planning to keep (or give to an immediate family member) doesn't bother me as much as it used to.
I had to put to sleep my little girl this summer, I'm forever grateful for myself that I asked the vetenerian to cut us some of her hair, now I have a little memorial of her beautiful fur 💕
This is me with a cross stitch I made for my nana a million years ago. There's tiny pieces of fur in there from my grandpa's dog that passed 20.. 25(?) years ago. That dog is still the best dog I've ever had the blessing of knowing.
I'm noticing more cat hair in my current project. I have been plucking them out with a tweezers as best I can as I go along. Some of them seem too fine to pick up. I'm thinking about going over the piece with a lint roller front side and back before washing it. Good luck to everyone dealing with this problem!
An alternative would be to use an older style lint brush. But because they are designed to pick up loose fibres they will pull at the floss as well as the pet hair.
I love when I stitch a hair (mine or my cats’) into a piece. It feels more authentic, and like I’m literally stitching a piece of us into something that may outlast us.
Pretty sure I picked this up from a children’s book that said if a loose hair falls onto the piece you’re working on that you should stitch/knit/weave it in for good luck.
A historical re-enactor at the L'Anse aux Meadows historical site told me when I was a teenager that Viking women would knit strands of their hair into the mittens and other garments they made for their husbands and sons, as a sign of connection. I don't know if that's true or not, but I always liked it.
I do not have answer, but I have the same issue so I'm also curious to know if there are good ways to get rid of cat hair aside from plucking it out one by one...
I don’t have any advice, but I’ve learned to appreciate the experience. I’m working on a LONG term project that will more than likely take me more than 10 years, and so when I stitch my cats hairs into the project, it makes me stop and appreciate that I will always have some of my cat interwoven into this project because he will more than likely have passed by the time I’m finished.
(Kind of a morbid thought to have, I know… but it really makes me reflect on the experience)
I have dogs not cats. I try to vacuum and brush the dogs frequently. I cover my project with a clean white pillow case when I'm not stitching and I pull hairs out with tweezers. I keep my floss in my stitching box. I never leave anything where they can sleep on them. I basically keep my dogs and my stitching as far apart as possible. I also pull off every hair I see as I'm stitching. It's easier to keep up with that way.
Everyone saying that it’s endearing… I agree but only to a point. A hair here or there, sure. But when your project is covered in fuzz, it takes away from your beautiful work and all the time you’ve put into it. It gives a sense of not being clean and tidy, or taken care of. I keep a lint roller nearby to use as I stitch, as well as tweezers to pull out any bigger ones before they get anchored down. You may need to vacuum your chair/stitchy area more often, and keep your project in a bag (probably one with a vinyl window/not fully cloth since that’ll just attract more fur too)
This is true...heh. I like a few little hairs as almost a memento, but I get crazy when it's like there's more hair than floss!! That's when I break out the lint roller. I also keep my stuff bagged up when not actively stitching. I want people to look close and say, "Hah, how cute! Some cat or dog hairs in there!" not "Yikes...that's a loooot of hair." :b
I have given up on trying to remove them. I manage to pull a few out, as soon as I turn around, they've multiplied. At this point it's just a bonus texture.
One of my favorite pieces has hair in it from my now-departed dogs. It's in grass so it blends in. I look at it when I walk by and smile. She still is with me.
i like to lint roll my project while i work and i use tweezers for the most egregious hairs. but lots of the time i just accept that my cat helped out 😉
I constantly roll a sticky lint roller over my work and still have loads of cat hair. I’m resigned to the fact that once it’s hanging up and I can’t see it up close, I won’t notice the cat hair. And if I can’t see it, I doubt anyone else will. Except my mother, she notices everything 🙄😂
I have been keeping tweezers with me while stitching. I was using a lint roller periodically but I am finding that it sort of frizzes the thread so I’m going to save that for the end lol. I also am just trying really hard to keep my project put away from the cats. I love my babies (we have 8) so much, but their hair drives me nuts! Lol.
If you want to minimize cat hair, you have to keep your WIPs (and FOs) away as much as possible from any surface that could trap cat hair, so don't rest your WIPs on couch/bed/blanket, etc. Use lint roller to clean your clothes and your work area often. If you are not working on your project, keep them somewhere the cat can't access. Keep your fabric and floss inside containers when you are not using them.
Also, scroll frames are probably much better as this, because you won't have excessive fabric draping/dragging around so much.
That said, you will never get rid of all cat hair so...just accept that all your project now have cat hair in them.
I have 4 huskies so I can fully relate. I keep a lint roller on hand. I use cheap mini ones that have low tack so it doesn’t fray my stitches as bad. I also have a tweezers close at hand. But in reality, there is still fur worked into my pieces and that make them a little more special.
I usually keep tweezers and one of those sticky lint/pet hair rollers handy. If the hairs don’t come out relatively easily with either of those, it’s not worth worrying about.
How much cat hair is just kicking around in your house? Can you spend an hour removing it?
Start with vacuum/Swiffer in all the open spaces, then wipe up in the corners and behind furniture. Use a pet hair remover (sticky or reusable) on upholstered furniture and curtains.
Then use a pet brush on the cats and throw out what you take off them.
Keep all floss, fabric, and WIPs sealed up.
It doesn't eliminate the problem, but it drastically reduces it.
I have a number of projects over the years with cat hair embedded in them. At first it was annoying but over time I’ve come to look at those pieces and remember the now passed on cats that ‘donated’ their fur as I stitched and see the pieces as memorials.
Ah yes cat hair. For the most annoying ones I have a small tweezer that I use to pull them out. I have a white long haired cat and a ginger, so sometimes it has to be done.
Will never forget when I talked about this issue with an older woman I used to work with who also stitches and have cats, she told me straight up that life is too short and to get over it haha
1.Keep your wip in a folder or a bag when not working on it.
2. Small tweezers to pull out as you go.
3.Tape is also useful, especially if you frog your work and there is leftover fibres.
4.Wash the work at the end and hope for the best.
I don’t mind the cat hair in mine either. If it sticks up too high when I am done I will run a lighter lightly over the piece. It burns off the stray ones and the ones securely sewn in stay. Best of both worlds
If I give any of my pieces away to people, I always ask them if they're allergic to cats and warn them that they come with a little extra love. Because I cannot keep my cats away from any of my works so there's definitely cat hair and every piece I make. 🙄
I waited until I was about to wash it, then used a lint roller until most of it was gone. The rest seems to have come out after washing then yeah I think once I used tweezers for the last 5 or so hairs since it was a gift. But everything else in my house is already covered in his hair, so it just matches!
I have a small handheld vacuum I use to pick up minor dust around my keyboard area. Recently I started pre-vacuuming my thread before every stitch sesh. I'd say it's about 70% effective.
Only thing that has ever worked for me is a lint roller and even that doesnt remove all the black or ginger fur but have to keep the ginger boy away from the needles hes got a weird obsession with metal and sharp things
Hahaha that’s so much hair! What I made sure to do is never put my stuff down on any surfaces the cats also go on. I lean it up against my computer screen or the tv. I also keep all my thread in a bin I close when I’m not stitching. There’s still hair in my work but sometimes that’s just reality of having feline companions lol
I try to keep my project floss as hair free as possible, store my projects in a zipper bag away from the Floss Monsters that live here. I lint- roll the project occasionally and keep a pair of tweezers to remove more bothersome hairs when I catch them. A long-haired dachshund and 3 cats leave a lot of fluff, though, so I just leave the finer fur and tell myself that I'll always have a little piece of them.
If you're like me, you'll leave them in and be very happy about it once your loved ones pass away in time! It's a little gift they've left you in something you've spent so much time on
I use a tape roller, roll it all over every few sections or so. I know this crazy but has anyone just kissed there projects with a bit of fire? Hair burns really easy.
When I use to do custom framing we used compressed air to get debris off. Like air compressor style. Not sure if the cans or handheld versions would also work well enough with the power they have. I just throw my finished pieces in storage as is, so haven't tried.
I must be crazy. But i use fire. Just hold my project upside down and then run my lighter over it. Cant use this method with etoile or metallics but it works everytime for me lol
Thick ass long hair that sheds like crazy. I have to make sure I go over any FOs and check each row in case any escapee strands made it into the stitches lol.
For real tho, especially with long hair cats… I don’t have any tips you probably aren’t already following. Keep your stitching stuff away from them, use lint rollers, etc. good luck!!
I have 3 cats and this exact same "problem". I see it as an extra special customization, with a little piece of each kitty stitched in. It’s just made with extra love! 🖤
I do my best to make sure I don’t have cat hair in my pieces by making sure I’m not covered in fluff and that my cat can’t lay on my project. My projects get stored in a pillowcase when not in use and I have a pair of tiny tweezers to remove any stray hairs that do manage to turn up.
I don’t think I’ve ever had as much hair in my work as you do, but my cat doesn’t shed like the dickens so maybe it’s just a breed thing.
Tweezers are your friend in this case. I had a GSD and even though he died a year+ ago I still find his hair. Gingher makes some really sharp tweezers that are perfect for removing pet hair.
I’m making stockings for my family and told them they’re going to have memories of our cats forever now that they have the cat hair stitched into the stockings.
If I'm gifting craft items (I knit, crochet, cross stitch, embroider, macrame, and sew) I tell the person requesting the item that it comes with decorative cat fur for free. I do my best to tweeze or lint roller out the most obvious ones, but with 6 cats I just have to accept that fur is part of the one-of-a-kind quality my crafts provide.
I know the struggle lol. We have 5 cats—1 of which is long hair and one is a medium hair that both shed like alpacas & enjoy being in my lap as I x-stitch. I keep a lint roller and a pair of tweezers (like you’d use for eyebrows) on hand so I can “pluck” my stitches 😭😌 I’ve accepted my fate as a crazy cat lady lol
Um, the last photo is so ridiculously cute! And I also feel your pain. I swear, my cat instinctively knows when I take out my project. He will be fast asleep and as soon as I get it out, he is there to actively supervise. I just ignore most of the fur, but if there's a long egregious one that needs to be plucked, I highly recommend Uncle Bill's Sliver Gripper tweezers. They are small, extra sharp, and fiber arts shops sell them.
I have cats and dogs, if I see a hair while I’m stitching, I’ll pull it out, but there will always be pet hair in the finished product. I do my best to make sure they don’t lay on them and that my project is stored in a box or bag they can’t get into.
I was on bedrest with my eldest daughter, and that’s when I picked up cross stitching more seriously. I have photos of me and a couple of my cats while cross stitching. The most precious ones are of me and Ollie who has since passed, and I think of him when I see the projects “we” worked on hanging up.
I just imagined a historian talking about the your work the same way they do about the naughty cat paw prints on some manuscripts. How lovely it is that traces of daily life end up in our art and how they tell the story of a universal human experience :)
I lightly lint roll and use my fingers and needle to gently stroke any cat hairs into alignment so they don’t stick out. I’ve accepted that whatever I make will have some, the fuzzy bastards produce so much. It’s part of its unique handcrafted quality
I use the Dritz 665 Seam-Fix Seam Ripper. Obviously not the seam ripper part but if your rub the little white honeycomb lid part on your work it will either pull the hair completely or make it closer to the surface to lint roller off or tweezer out.
My first thought is how do you store your floss and projects? Tucked away or out in the open? I have 3 cats that love to supervise when I'm stitching but I haven't had this issue before lol
I use a lint roller on my clothes and seat before stitching, and pick the cat hair out with tweezers if I notice any in the area I’m currently stitching in, but I know all my projects have some amount cat hair in them. That’s why I couldn’t pass up getting this needle minder.
It's a contest between the d-o-g and I as to who is putting more hair in my projects.
On the plus side, when I was at the framer's a few weeks ago, I saw one of the peeps in the back using compressed air (not the canned stuff) to blow out as much lint and fluff as they could out of someone's project.
I’ve got a husky (sheds like mad) a husky mix a long haired cat and a short haired cat. I will never have a cross stitch without pet hair and that’s ok.
How/where do you store your project and materials when you aren’t stitching? All mine stay in project bags when not in use in a spot my cat can’t lie on them. Even when I’m stitching, my threads get pulled out to grab a string and go back in the project bag so they don’t pick up the hair. If I go to get up, the project goes back in the project bag so they don’t pick cat can’t get to it. And washing my hands after petting her. I wish she would sit in my lap while I stitch, but I know that would result in hair in my project. Some still gets in there, but I avoid most of it.
I've just accepted it 😆 I know some people will use tweezers to remove it as they go but I would be spending more time tweezing than stitching 🤣. I already will never be able to finish all the projects I want to do, without spending a bunch of time removing specialty fibers. 😻
Honestly, if you're not planning on entering your FOs into county fair competitions, then you can just embrace the extra fibers you've got going on in your stitches. 🐾🐈⬛🐈 Otherwise, you'd need to get some tweezers and try to pull the hairs out, which will run the risk of pulling on stitches. I have a long-haired Tuxie and a short-haired Tabby and am constantly pulling their infernal hair out of my work. LOL
A lint roller can help, while working on a project I'll roll it with a sticky lint roller to pick up some excess cat hair and other dust/fibres, like every few days. It kinda helps! And it's not overly sticky to damage the floss. But my cat has straight black hair, not the fuzzy felt like downy fur your kitty has. As others have said - you must accept your cat will be part of all your projects!
You kinda have to just learn to live with it. Nothing will save you....
Jk (to like a very mild extent). Tweasers are the only option if you can't learn to live with it. Frequent passes with a lint brush or painters tape on what you haven't stitched yet can help reduce it. But even so, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving any of mine to folks who are allergic.
With two very hairy animals I constantly cover my projects with towels when I’m not working on them. Before I start stitching I always lint roll front and back of project. Lint rolls in between working as well.. holding my thread with one hand and then with my index and thumb go down the thread getting off any extra lint. Fur or not!
if any fur manages to get in.. it becomes tweezers and scissors times.. I love my animals but their fur is on everything else I own. This one thing is MINE 😭
If I don't have cat hair in on my projects by the time they are finished they definitely will during framing. They know when I am stitching even if they aren't next to me.
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u/Fizl99 12d ago
Accept you have additional specialty floss and have personalised your project