Has anyone washed items made with Zephyr (50/50 merino and silk) yarn - I am thinking of making some fabric in this yarn but not if it has to be dry cleaned as the manufacturers state.  Thanks in advance for any input - Gill.

Comments

Tue, 10/01/2013 - 13:12

Artistry

I have washed Small pieces of Zephyr by hand in warm water( mild soap like Orvis) roll in towel to absorb excess water, ( no agitation!) then lay flat to dry, iron. These are scarves. I have never had a piece dry cleaned. The complaints I have heard over the years, and maybe they have fixed these problems, are that the colors are not as wash fast as they should be. However I have never had any problem following the above method. My advice, sample with your chosen colors and see how how your sample does in wash fastness and shrinkage when you wet finish it.
Tue, 10/01/2013 - 13:19

tisserande (not verified)

Thank you Cathie that is helpful.

 

Tue, 10/01/2013 - 17:29

Bonnie Inouye (not verified)

It is possible to shrink Zephyr and I have seen it used for differential shrinkage projects. It takes a little extra agitation, a heavy-duty wash cycle and also hot wash/cold rinse may increase shrinkage. I would wash the finished product the way I was a wool sweater, either by hand or on a gentle cycle in a washing machine I can trust with this, cool wash/cool rinse.

Bonnie Inouye

Tue, 10/01/2013 - 18:00

laurafry

If there is any issue with fugitive dye, rinse, rinse, rinse until the water runs clear.  Do *not* soak - that is just an open invitation for the fugitive dye to settle somewhere else on the textile.  :(

cheers,

Laura

Tue, 10/01/2013 - 21:08

sally orgren

I wove in combos of cotton and Zephyr. I used the washing machine, delicate setting, with clear Ivory dishsoap. I typically add color catcher or dye catcher sheets with any handwovens, just in case.

For the drying, I timed it in small increments, since I didn't want the samples to shrink up too much. Something like 10 minute increments. Test your dryer settings too.

My concern is that in the future, your recipient might not take as much care with the process, and end up with a solid felt ball. So the safe bet is to recommend dry cleaning in the hopes that someone with fabric experience would know how to clean it.

(However, if you are making the textile for yourself — you might be good to go!)

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 02:27

Artistry

Laura has a very good point about fugitive dye, if there is any!
Wed, 10/02/2013 - 08:44

tisserande (not verified)

Thanks to all of you for your helpful comments!

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 08:50

Ellen (not verified)

I have often woven with Zephyr, it is one of my favourites. Behaves so well during weaving and becomes so soft and at the same time shiny after wash and a steam press. I always hand wash, press excess water out and hang to dry over a folded up towel so as not to get a sharp line in the middle. I would think that people who would be willing to buy a handwoven piece would also be willing to hand wash it. I have noticed excess dye in the water but have never had it running into other yarns.
Fri, 10/04/2013 - 09:32

tisserande (not verified)

Thank you Ellen - that is very helpful advice!

Fri, 10/04/2013 - 11:25

Artistry

I know we've been talking about washing Zephyr but I want to point out that it's not so fragile that one can't experiment with it. As Bonnie pointed out she had done Shrinkage Differential. I had forgotten the many warp painted projects I did with using Lanaset dyes , rinsing is kept to a minumum keeping the tangling down. However, This is still abusive to the yarn,( brushes rubbing against the wool ). I wove 3 block 5 shaft damask sett at 36 epi, 3 per dent 12 dent reed. So those fuxzzies clung to each other making a difficult shed. Perservance paid off. Washed the piece in the bathtub, good pressing, fuzzies gone, beautiful sheen. Irridescence . The other experiment, lace weave, shibori on a pole, hot dye, then printed discharged( hot iron). It with stood all this. I was of course careful and we all know discharge does by it's nature damages fabric, however the zephyr came through, and turned interesting color. So my point is don't be afraid to experiment with it, of course on a sample!
Fri, 10/04/2013 - 13:04

jlread (not verified)

This is a silk/merino blend and I have woven many scarves with this....wet finished and pressed....absolutely NO problems at all.