hi. i'm new here and haven't explored the rest of the site yet. (I never heard of hipforums until I did a google search of 'hip' and 'sewing' trying to find some unique sewing sites.) I have a question re: 'washing' fabrics before cutting and sewing. What about fabrics that have to be dry cleaned? I hate dry cleaning to begin with (too many bad chemicals!) and minimize doing it. I realize I should buy washable clothes! My question is do these items like wool have to be dry cleaned? Thanks very much.
i have never dry cleaned wool first. the purpose of cleaning fabric first is to make sure it won't shrink after you wash it, and it's not going to shrink if you are going to dry clean it. (btw i never dry clean unlined wool items, i just wash them in gentle stuff like woolite or dr b's and line dry).
When I make something of wool, I first "full" the wool by hand washing in hot water and soap (NOT detergent, a well-made lye soap is ideal). That shrinks the fabric and causes the individual fibres to matt together. You could look it as a half-step toward making felt, except that you're starting with a woven cloth instead of loose fibres. After fulling and then sewing the garment, I make sure I wash it only with soap (again, NO detergent) and warm water, and lay out flat to dry. It's worked well so far.
You should always wash your fabric somehow before you sew. Otherwise you could end up with a teeny tiny dress that won't fit anyone! btw, I don't dry clean anything. I even wash my old cashmere sweaters, just very carefully and very rarely. I think that washing in warm water, not cold, is best.
Thanks for these suggestions & advice. They are great! I am re-entering the world of sewing. When I learned, the teacher did not advise washing first. What about home decorating fabrics? now I know technically these don't have to be washed as they are not going to shrink but I feel they are coated with chemicals that i'd rather get off. but... is it better to just let the chemicals get out through the air vs. washing them...? thanks again! great tips.
I pre-wash everything except silk or other fabrics that would be damaged in water. Those, I usually fluff in the dryer without heat.
