Hi,

 

I've just finished a set of three scrarves made of bambu and some silk. Mostly twill with some plain weave. It was recommended to wash and press the scrarves as a last step. Is something most people do. They look so nice but would probably be a lot softer if I washed them.

Comments

Fri, 01/02/2015 - 17:52

laurafry

Absolutely wet finish! :) Think about pottery. If it doesn't get fired its not done. If textiles don't get wet finished, they are not really done. Cheers Laura The it isn't finished until it's wet finished person...
Fri, 01/02/2015 - 18:05

Fitzroy

Thank you.

 

So is wet finishing a scarve just a good solid hand wash, towel dry and iron?

Fri, 01/02/2015 - 19:23

laurafry

OK - trying again - my last effort got 'lost' when I got dumped off the site.  :(

Wet finishing is the very first time a woven web meets water (and soap/detergent).

I use the term wet finishing because sometimes the process is harsher (so to speak) than ordinary washing.  Temperatures may be hotter, agitation may be more vigorous than used for general cleaning of the textile.

For bamboo/silk, a handwash with warm water and a little soap/detergent is fine.  Whether you use soap or detergent will depend on the water - if it is 'soft', use soap.  If it is 'hard', use detergent.  You don't need a lot, just a little, enough to act as a surfactant to break down the surface tension of the water so that it is more readily absorbed, and scour out any spin oil or other 'dirt'.

A good hard press will increase stability of the threads, pressing the warps/wefts together, filling in the intersections between the threads.  Shine will be increased, especially important for threads like linen, silk, rayon, where we expect to see shine.

Drape will be improved in almost all cases.

For more information, the dvd I did for Interweave Press comes on sale routinely.  :)

cheers,

Laura

Fri, 01/02/2015 - 21:21

kerstinfroberg

Just to annoy Laura (hi! you know I *really* agree with you - ) - I'm Swedish, and in one Very Important Book about textiles (from, I think, the 1950ies), there is a whole chapter about the differences in finishing between handwovens (other than wool) and industrial cloth: handwoven cloth should not (the book says) be wet finished. However (the book says), it should be pointed out to the customers that what they just had bought would look Very Different when (if?) they ever washed it...

(To me that doesn't make sense. But: some 20 yrs ago, I entered some (don't remember what kind of items) into a "handcraft" show: they were rejected, because "they look like *fabric* - we like them more [...?] rough". After that I have never entered anything in a "handcraft" show... and I certainly wet finish everything, esp it it is for sale...)

Sat, 01/03/2015 - 02:56

Sara von Tresckow

In addition to Laura's comments, be sure to test the dye fastness of your work - Synthrapol or the house detergent from Dharma for suspending excess dye are very important ingredients in the toolbox of a weaver. The higher the contrast in your thread colors, the more important it is to successfully wet finish the item and be reasonably sure that a customer will not experience bleeding that ruins the appearance of your cloth.

When you have wet finished and checked your work for bleeding, you can then label and show your pieces with considerably more confidence.

Sat, 01/03/2015 - 19:08

Fitzroy

Thank everyone for the your suggestions. I ended up soaking, washing then rinsing is some fabric softener. The results were very nice. The pieces have a much softer, more supple feel. They don't seem to crease now. All in all a big success. I'll try and post a picture of them somewhere on the site, once I fugure out how.

Sat, 01/03/2015 - 19:38

tommye scanlin

Just beautiful and seems they would drape and wear so well.

Congratulations!

Tommye

Tue, 01/06/2015 - 17:04

JeanOCuilinn

Those are lovely! I'm a newby and it's inspiring to see what people have made. I'm practicing with towels :-)
Wed, 01/07/2015 - 23:52

loomroomcat (not verified)

I work with rayon frequently and soak and spin the woven fabric using fabric softner and hang to dry.  Once dry, I throw them in the dryer on high heat for about 10 minutes.  Makes the rayon go limp.  Wonderful drape.  Also using this method for bamboo.  I've been told pressing them with a hot iron will do the same but I use the dryer.