Monday, May 26, 2014

Creased Wrinkled Fabric

Wrinkled fabric
How to avoid this when you're washing your fabric. 
Deep wrinkles with hard to get out creases

Okay now I know some of you don't wash the fabric before you start working but I do. Here's why I do:
 1. Eliminate shrinking
 2. Avoid having dyes running and ruining my fabrics
 3. Remove chemicals put on the fabrics in the process of making and/or shipping.
Some of those chemicals are harmful to us and so we need to remove them from the fabric.
Now if you'd like to keep the crispness of the fabric then you can always starch it as you iron and restore that crispness.
Okay so when washing the fabric how do I avoid getting all those nasty wrinkles? Well the first I always cut the corners of my fabric or pink the raw edges or surge them. This is just to eliminate any fraying that might occur in the washing and drying process. After I've done that I will take my selvedge edges and stitch them together to make a loop of my fabric. If I don't have selvedge edges then I just take two of the shorter raw edges and stitch them together again creating a loop of fabric.
Then just throw them in the washing machine. Don't forget your color catcher if you think you have some fabric that might bleed a little bit. Wash and dry them. You're ready to go. This is what they look like afterwards.
Very few wrinkles and no creases

Once they are dry all you have to do is trim off that little sewn selvage edge or the raw edges and you're ready to start creating.
Whatever wrinkles left are much easier to iron out of the fabric. Use starch if you wish.

Happy creaseless sewing!
Rose

3 comments:

margaret said...

like you I always wash my fabrics and use colour catchers, put some in an ordinary wash the other day, very old trousers etc that had been washed loads of times and the colour still ran. That is a good tip re sewing along the selvedge but I must admit doing them on a 30 degree cool wash they do not crease too much

Rose said...

Thanks Margaret! I always wash mine the same way I do all clothes and household items so I haven't tried the cool wash etc. I know if I'm making a quilt for my family that is how they will wash them - lol!

Karen said...

good tip Rose, thank you. and Africa? Elephants head? neither appeals....:(