Hi!

I'm curious what people's thoughts are on wet finishing without access to a washer or dryer.  I've seen that a lot of people hand wet finish wools or other delicate materials, but I've been weaving in cotton.  What is the best way to hand wet finish cotton?  Does any one have any tips on removing stiffness in the fabric after washing?

Thanks!

Comments

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 15:22

fuzzyplums

I have used fabric softener in the past when wet finishing with good results and I have used a product called SOAK which I picked up at my local yarn shop with just as good results. I also use a salad spinner to soak my projects in and to spin the excess water out with. I'm sure others might have other suggestions though.

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 15:41

woolybat

Hi, using a salad spinner is a great idea!  I'll have to try some fabric softener as well.  Do you just soak and gently agitate the wovens in warm water, and then spin them out to dry?

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 15:51

fuzzyplums

I gently agitate with my hand and let it soak in warm water with either fabric softener or SOAKadded to the water. Dump the water and spin the wovens to remove the excess water. Takes a little bit to remove most of the water but I find it better than using my washer machine on the spin cycle. I really like the SOAK product better than the fabric softener though.

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 16:36

laurafry

For cotton I use the hottest water available, a soap/detergent, give it a good agitation to help the threads fall into their 'proper' place (especially for weave structures like waffle weave or lace weaves).  I tend to *not* soak unless I am positive there is no fugitive dye.  If there is, rinse, rinse, rinse.  The hot water will usually trigger any loose dye molecules so they can be rinsed out.  

A salad spinner can help with water extraction, then smooth flat, dry until damp and finally a good hard press to help lock the threads into place.  Unless you want to preserve 3D as in waffle weave.

cheers,

Laura

ps - whether you use soap or detergent will depend on your water - if you have soft water (no minerals) soap is good.  If your water is 'hard' (minerals natrually occuring), use a detergent with no whiteneres, no brighteners, no scents.  Many people like to use synthropol, Orvus Paste or the blue Dawn liquid dish soap

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 21:20

Sara von Tresckow

I still handwash many handwoven projects. If it is too small for the machine, it goes in the bathroom sink with hand agitation and Synthrapol to guard against fugitive dye.  Use hot water, agitate by hand, then rinse well - yes, it even burns calories - and gently press out water. Hang out to dry on a drying rack.

Larger pieces go into the bathtub.

I still handwash many of my nicer clothes to keep them nice longer. There is no shame about washing or drying without machines.

 

Thu, 07/21/2016 - 03:17

sandra.eberhar…

Use of fabric softener might depend on the use of the fabric.  Softener has silicates that essentially waterproof the fiber.  Not good for towels.