If you are using a zig-zag, do a wide stitch of length 4 and width 6. A 3 step zig-zag may eliminate any bunching up of a regular zig-zag on fine fabrics. After you have finished pre washing your fabric might look a little sad and crumpled.
Give it a gentle press using a water spray and it will look good as new! Trim any annoying excess fraying and you are ready to start cutting the fabric for sewing. If you are worried about what your fabric will look like after pre-washing you can just test a little scrap instead of the entire piece. This method is often used in commercial production as it is impractical to wash hundreds of meters of fabric at once. Cut a square 4 x 4 inches 10x10cm. Wash it using your chosen method machine or hand wash putting it in with a scrap of white fabric to test the color dyes.
For no shrinkage, I normally wouldn't wash the full amount of fabric. For really large productions you might use this testing method for a yard or meter instead of a small scrap. It just depends on the consequences of shrinkage and how much fabric you can sacrifice for testing. So now you can make a great decision about pre washing and save yourself from frustration later on.
I shall cast the first comment — My answer is sometimes. As a general rule, I do for knits and don't for quilting fabrics if I am using a quality brand that I know doesn't shrink.
For purchased clothing, I do if it is a bright color that is likely to bleed. And I always do pre washing on red articles. See also how to test your fabric for colorfastness. Great blog, I liked the way you explained.
I got to know about it through your blog and from one more that I read yesterday. I prewash just about everything that will be washed in the future.
My muslin mock ups don't get prewashed as it's a waste of water. Currently washing some black twill for pants. When sewing for a gift, be sure to provide the recipient with washing instructions.
If your fabric is one which will unravel or fray, add a seam finish to the cut edges so you don't end up with a mess in the washer and dryer. In most cases, serging or adding a zigzag finish to the cut edge is all you need.
Cotton fabric is a natural fiber, so it will shrink. Many cotton fabrics will be marked as pre-washed but may still shrink after washing. Wash and dry the fabric so you know for sure that the shrinking is done before you sew a garment.
Linen is a natural fiber that tends to shrink in the laundry. The fibers also soften after they have been washed, so for the finished "feel" of the fabric and to prevent a project from shrinking, wash it in hot water and machine dry it before you create anything with it.
Wool fabric is made from natural fibers and may also be blended with other fibers. Almost all of them are labeled "dry clean only" and you are wise to do just that. Using "easy care" rather than "clean and press" is usually less expensive and gets the job done. If you never go the dry cleaners and know you will not take the finished item there, try your preferred washing method on a measured sample of the fabric to test the shrinking. In other words, cut a 5-inch sample of the fabric and finish the edges.
Measure the sample with the finished edges. Once it has been washed and dried, measure your sample again to see how the size compares after shrinking and make sure you still like the feel of the fabric before you preshrink the entire piece. Many laundering processes are acceptable for using on silk.
Using the sample method described for wool fabric is recommended here. Many will argue that polyester, fleece, and man-made fibers don't shrink. Even if they don't shrink, they may contain finishes that wash out or change the feel and hang of the fabric. The way the fabric is woven is also apt to change in the laundry, so preshrinking is still advised.
Anything sewn into the garment is going to be subjected to laundering. Manufacturers of high quality cotton say you do not have to prewash for shrinkage. However, you can wash to remove dust, sizing or keep highly saturated colors from running. Plus, garments need regular cleaning and care. If you choose to wash a fabric at home to preshrink, or take it to the dry cleaner, you need to go right back to fiber content.
Almost all fabrics need to be laundered in the same manner that you plan to launder the completed piece and you can also eliminate this step if you will never launder the item, such as a wall hanging. Take to the dry cleaner for preshrinking:. Rebecca says:. Robin Dann says:. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.
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