Day 157 - How to preshrink fabric before you sew!

September 3rd, 2012

How to preshrink fabric before you sew 

You will need:

Washer and dryer

Iron that has a steam setting

Two towels

Sewing machine or serger

Organza ironing cloth

cotton batiste ironing cloth

 

Preshrinking fabric is extremely important before starting any project. No one wants a misshapen shirt after the first wash.The first thing you need to determine is if the fabric is machine wash, hand wash or dry clean only. 

Machine washable fabrics (cottons and knits, etc..)

Step one:

Serge or machine stitch edges to prevent fraying.

Step two:

Machine wash on cold. 

Step three:

Dry on high. 

Step four:

Start your sewing project.

Hand wash fabrics (silks etc..)

Step one:

Hand wash with mild detergent.

Step two:

Lay flat to dry.

Step three:

Press with organza ironing cloth.

Step four:

Start your sewing project.

Dry clean fabrics (wools etc..)

London Shrink method

Step one:

Saturate all the fabrics in water.

Step two:

Place between two towels and roll-up tightly.

Step three:

Allow to dry, possibly rerolling with new towels if the piece of fabric is large.

Step four:

Start your sewing project.

Steam method

Step one:

Put the a few cotton ironing clothes into a bowl of water. 

Step two:

Lay out the fabric on the ironing board.

Step three:

Wring out one cloth and place on top of fabric. 

Step four:

Iron the press cloth until dry, do not glide, use a pick up and press down motion. Lots of steam should be billowing out. 

Step five:

Repeat three and four, moving the press cloth until the entire piece has been pressed.

Step six:

Start your sewing project.

Dry cleaner method

Step one:

Take it to the dry cleaners, ask for no creases.

Step two:

Pick up fabric at dry cleaners.

Step three:

Start your sewing project.