Fabric backing

[gene]

A customer has an embroidered fabric about 2' by 2" that was his mom's, and he wants me to cover a foot stool with it. It needs cleaning and the dry cleaning company told him if he gets a backing put on the embroidered fabric they will try to clean it.

Does anyone have experience with this? I can buy fusible iron on backing and I think that would work OK, but I'm not sure. I'm just hoping someone has some experience with this.

Thanks,

Gene

[SteveA]

I don't know what the best way is to back the fabric but when a guy say's he'll try to clean it I worry.  My buddy Jose had a neddle point the customer wanted to put on her foot stool.  He send it out to be cleaned and blocked so the pattern would be straight.  When it came back colors had run together and the cleaning people said there was nothing they could do.
It didn't end well.
SA

[MinUph]

  I have never backed anything, always have it done, but I've done a lot of blocking of needlepoint. Some dies will run and most will not. If in doubt you need to try a corner first with COLD water. I use it out of the fridge. Always have a bottle in there for blood removal also. And you can spray the water on the back of the needle point which helps with running. If the dye runs on your test area I would stop and not wet it though.
  Some needle points are really worth a lot of bucks so take that into consideration also. Even sentimental value.

[65Buick]

This makes me cringe. Older, probably not very strong needlepoints to be upholstered onto seating furniture. Yikes.

FYI: in the case of old paintings that need preserved, people use - spit. That to me says that any kind of chemical cleaner is a no-no.