Hi everyone! I just finished a project, I hand spun & just finished weaving 11 yds of a herringbone wool twill, I had planned to hand steam iron it for the fulling process.  My question is, if I am going to have garments made from this coats, etc. Should I have this fabric professionally dry-cleaned & steam pressed to allow for more shrinkage prior to having any garments made?  Any input would be great.

Comments

Thu, 07/10/2014 - 22:41

pammersw

Pretreat it however the finished garments will be cared for, whatever the project,  before cutting anything.

For extra insurance,  you can go one treatment harsher, i.e., wash in warm water instead of cold.

Thu, 07/10/2014 - 23:02

laurafry

Steaming it will not 'full' it.  How stable are the threads in the cloth?  That is, when you run a fingernail under the cloth against the threads, do they move from their position?  If so, any garment sewn from this cloth will not fare well over time, particularly at seams and wear points.

Fulling requires the cloth be wetted out thoroughly and agitated so that the fibres can lock together.  Monitor the fulling process by checking from time to time on how stable the cloth has become by running a fingernail over the threads from beneath.

Fulling can be done by hand, in the washing machine or in the dryer.  Each method will give slightly diferent results, although most times not distinguishable to most people.

Since you are new (?) to weaving and wet finishing, I would wet the cloth out and perhaps use the dryer (with no heat) and every couple of minutes remove the cloth, rearrange it to ensure fulling proceeds evenly across the cloth.  I'm assuming you won't want to do signficant fulling but just a little to stabilize the cloth...

Once the finished state has been reached, lay it flat until damp then apply a hard press to flatten the cloth as much as possible to make sewing it easier.

Care instructions would depend on the construction of the garment.  If there are no linings/interfacings, the garment could likely be hand washed as per any wool item.  If there is significant construction involved, then dry cleaning would be appropriate.

cheers,

Laura (the 'it isn't finished until it's wet finished' person...)