Sewing Help: Fabric Care

OFFICIAL STONEMOUNTAIN & DAUGHTER LAUNDERING RECOMMENDATIONS:

*When in doubt, Dry Clean all Silk, Wool, Rayon, Linen, Decorator Fabrics and certain imported cottons whose dye is unstable in order to keep your fabric looking its best. If you choose to dry clean, certain fabrics will need to be preshrunk by steaming before cutting out your project. Exception: Some fabric with metallic threads may not be suitable for dry-cleaning and will need special care.

*Always treat the fabric before hand as you will the finished garment or project (e.g., wash in cold water, dry clean, or use the dryer to pre-shrink).

*Be careful with the use of Dryers - especially commercial ones. It's the dryer that breaks down the integrity of the fiber over time more than any other process. Repeated heat and stress will cause your fabric to look old before its time. Exception: When you want to distress or "sandwash" your fabric, the dryer works great for this.

*Use the RIGHT delicate hand-washing soap, NOT WOOLITE (which is a harsh detergent with Bleach!) for all your delicate washables:

Orvus Paste is an old-fashioned soap traditionally used for quilts. It works great for gently hand-washing laundry, too! We sell this at our store.
Ivory Snow, available at most drug and variety stores, is an excellent delicate care washing machine detergent / soap.
A baby shampoo works well for certain Silks and Wools - Dr. Bronner's also works well. If using Dr. Bronner's, we recommend either the unscented or the Lavender scent - The Peppermint and Tea Tree varieties may react with some dyes!
Commercially available no-rinse sweater soaps like Soak Wash or Eucalan can also work well for fine cold-water hand-washable garments like woolens or silks.
Fine silks or other fabrics that contain lycra or spandex benefit greatly when washed with the lingerie soap Forever New.
The name of the game is: Always test a swatch of your fabric before proceeding!

*Cotton, in general, is the easiest fabric to care for. Except for certain imported cottons, most should wash and dry well. Ironing is recommended to remove the wrinkles. Again, always pretest all your pieces before throwing your investment into the wash. Pre-wash for shrinkage.

*Silk and Linen have been around for thousands of years and dry cleaners for less than a hundred. Many ready-to-wear garments are being shown with distress or sand-washed silks and linens. However, as a store policy we must recommend dry cleaning for all your silks and linens. Over the years we have seen the occasional mishap where someone used a strong detergent on their beautiful silk print and was unhappy with the result. We cannot ensure that your silk or linen will come through your particular way of washing and drying Wash and dry at your own risk! Feel free to experiment with washing and drying swatches to ensure that you will be happy with the result of distressing your silk or linen. Use Ivory Snow or a gentle hair shampoo for best results!

It is much better to dry clean Rayons to ensure the long lasting fresh look of your garment. Rayon fibers are shorter and will tend to "fuzz" up with the wash and dry cycle. Experiment with samples before attempting to wash any rayon - some wash great and others horribly. Exception: Sandwashed Rayon is OK to wash gently with Ivory Snow and a light dryer to activate its softness. Be sure to pre-wash before you cut it for shrinkage, etc. Again, if unsure, just test a piece before you wash and cut.

HAPPY SEWING!

Fabric Care and Washing Advice for Silk Fabrics

Q: Is it okay to wash silk fabrics? When I wash it, can I run it through the spin cycle, too? Can I use regular laundry detergent? If touch up ironing is needed but the garment has completely dried while hanging up, may I use an iron on a steam setting? Is a press cloth advisable? I read that silk noil has an odor - will adding baking soda to the rinse cycle neutralize the silk odor?

A: First of all, always test wash only a swatch or small square of your silk. Washing silks and other fine fabrics can be risky so proceed with caution! Washing silks in a washing machine washing will give many silks a particular "washed/sueded" look: It can have a "sueded" or "distressed" look, which may include surface texture or color changes.

Once you've washed your swatch you will have determined that your silk can go through the washing machine. At this point a spin cycle is probably okay, although be aware that most spinning columns in traditional machines will abrate the silk and may cause the "sueding" that is mentioned above. Some silks wash better than others - Silk noil and broadcloth handle machine washing better than other types of silk.

Be cautious when choosing detergents. Mild soap, like Dr Bronner's (a castile soap) or a very mild organic soap for laundry is better than Woolite, which has harsh additives and optical brighteners in it. Gentle detergents like Method, Seventh Generation or Vaska can give good results when used in the machine.

Some heartier silks (like noil) will take a steam iron; other silks are subject to possible water spotting, so always test your iron with steam on a scrap first. Be cautious, test, and use your best judgment. Press cloths are always advised.

Silk noil does have a distinct mild and natural"silk" odor, although it's not unpleasant, and not as strong as it used to be years ago. Baking soda or one of the naturally scented mild soaps (like lavender Dr. Bronner's) will help minimize this. Exposure to air also helps. The silk odor generally fades with a few months on its own.

Also remember that handwashing also works quite well for laundering silk fabric and garmets you've made using silk. I frequently handwash my silks in Dr. Bronner's or a no-rinse sweater soap like Soak and hang or drip dry.

How do you remove musty smells from old fabric?

If your fabric is colorfast (cottons and synthetics that don't spot from moisture) try this:

Use baking soda and water to hand wash the fabric. And/or
Lay the cloth out on green moist grass in the sunshine for 1/2 - 1 hour to let chlorophyll and oxygenation help remove smells. Sunshine will kill sun-hating organisms!

If your fabric cannot get wet, try this:

Put some white vinegar in a container in a steamy room (shower). Hang fabric in such a was that the vinegar and steam vapors rise up through the fabric.

How to Pre-Shrink Fusible Interfacings:

Washable wovens, wefts and knit fusibles can be preshrunk in water.

PRESHRINKING FUSIBLES

Fold the piece loosely and immerse in a tub of hot tap water. Let set for 15 - 20 minutes or until the water cools. Do not agitate the piece as the resins may loosen.
Drain water and roll interfacing in a towel to remove excess water.
Unroll.
Lay woven aned weft yardages over a towel rack or shower rod to air dry; lay knits flat to air dry.
When you are ready to use the interfacing, preshrink further using the following "steam shrink":method.
Non-woven and dry-clean only interfacings can generally be steam shrunk with a shot of of steam.

Immediately before the actual fusing process:

Position the interfacing (resin side down) over the wrong side of the garment piece.
Holding the iron 2 inches above the pieces, apply shots of steam for about 2 - 5 seconds.
Do not let the iron touch the fabric.
Smooth out the pieces and fuse as usual.

How should I clean my fleece garments?

To avoid unnecessary abrasion, launder garments inside out, separately or with similar garments. Use a powdered detergent (like Ivory Snow) in luke-warm water, gentle cycle. (Liquid detergents may alter the effectiveness of the moisture wicking chemical treatments applied to some lighter weight fleeces.)

Do not use bleach or softeners. (Softeners have an adverse effect on the Durable Water Repellent (DWR) chemical finish that is applied to the surface of some mid-weight and heavy weight fleeces.)

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