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The Sew What’s New Archive
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From: sewingdiva
Date: 10-23-2005, 11:37 PM (1 of 26)
Just wanted to say hi to everyone!  I'm new to the site - i was excited to find it and looking forward to participating in the beginner forum.I'm in my early 30's and just started sewing again after buying my first machine - the last time i sewed was in high school. So i have lots to learn but am loving it! My projects to date are a wall quilt called 'Square Dance' in asian fabrics, a pair of flannel pajama pants for my boyfriend and a pair of zippered pillows for my couch in Amy Butler fabric. I have a 'newbie' question regarding pre-washing knit fabric. Should it be done? I bought some brown and multicolor print knit fabric recently. The bolts did not have the fabric content on them - the sales lady said they were polyester with some lycra in it. If i pre-wash, will I have a problem determining the 'right side'/nap? Also - should i be prewashing sew-in interfacing? I am using it for pants waistband/fly, and i have already pre-washed the fabric and lining. Thanks! |
User: sewingdiva
Member since: 10-23-2005 Total posts: 22 |
From: bridesmom
Date: 10-24-2005, 07:12 AM (2 of 26)
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I always prewash my fabric, because if it shrinks I'd like it to do that BEFORE I find out that I can't get it done up after washing the finished garment!! You can determine the right side of a knit fabric by stretching it along the grainline and it will roll to the right side - am I right everyone? I've never prewashed my interfacing mostly because I use iron on. I always wash in cold water as well and with a knit/lycra I tend to put it into the dryer for a very short while then hang to dry. Also somewhere on this forum we discussed using the 'burn' test to tell what type of fabric you had which was very interesting and helpful.
Laura
Tickled pink with my Innovis 4000D |
User: bridesmom
Member since: 01-21-2004 Total posts: 2026 |
From: SummersEchos
Date: 10-24-2005, 07:58 AM (3 of 26)
|
Hi sewingdiva, Welcome to Sew Whats News. I prewash everything except the thread. I am of the old school which we do prewash everything. I like bridesmam would be heartbroken to make something up and have it shrink or become distorted after I finished. Summer
FREE FALLIN |
User: SummersEchos
Member since: 09-29-2004 Total posts: 884 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 10-24-2005, 08:28 AM (4 of 26)
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I prewash or clean fabric the way the finished item will be cleaned -- almost always. I don't prewash interfacing, but I do steam it to get the shrink out. I just hit it with the steam iron before I iron it on to the fabric. Then I apply it before I cut the piece out. I used to have terrible problems with interfacing shrinking up the fabric until I started doing it that way. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: bridesmom
Date: 10-24-2005, 09:13 AM (5 of 26)
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I gave you wrong information about telling which is the right side of the fabric!! It was in the new issue of Threads that I just picked up this week. When you stretch the knit across the width it will curl to the right side. Laura
Tickled pink with my Innovis 4000D |
User: bridesmom
Member since: 01-21-2004 Total posts: 2026 |
From: jenny-o
Date: 10-24-2005, 11:04 AM (6 of 26)
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That's a great tip, Dorothy, about steaming the interfacing, I will do that now. I get so annoyed when interfacing shrinks. Sewing Diva - Welcome to the site. I just love the Amy Butler fabrics! I have to order them through places like Ebay because not a single fabric store in my area sells them or her patterns (love those too). I'm a preshrinker supporter of all fabrics. Jenny |
User: jenny-o
Member since: 08-28-2005 Total posts: 132 |
From: sewingdiva
Date: 10-24-2005, 11:05 AM (7 of 26)
| Thanks for the advice Ladies. I'll be prewashing everything from now on - i just need some more experience determining the right side/naps of different fabrics! |
User: sewingdiva
Member since: 10-23-2005 Total posts: 22 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 10-24-2005, 12:26 PM (8 of 26)
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Jenny -- If it is an especially large interfaced piece you can hand wash and hang to dry to shrink too -- at least with some brands. I've done it but not often -- steam does the trick for me. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: esrun3
Date: 10-24-2005, 10:13 PM (9 of 26)
Hi Sewingdiva and welcome! Like most of the others, I wash everything first in the manner I will wash the finished item. I don't wash interfacing but I usually use the iron in also. Hope you'll share some of your projects with us! 
Lyn
|
User: esrun3
Member since: 12-02-2004 Total posts: 2345 |
From: LauraM62
Date: 10-25-2005, 10:01 AM (10 of 26)
Nobody else mentioned this, but I prewash & dry my fabric 3 times before I use it if it has cotton and/or is a possible shrinkable fabric.  It was a tip I was given some where else, but fell hard on after making some items! I did prewash the fabric, but after washing the finished garment it shrank again!  Since losing a couple that way, I have been faithful to wash & dry 3 times before I cut! Nothing else has ever shrank after being made since. 
LauraM
SW Indiana If everyone cared and nobody cried; If everyone loved and nobody lied; If everyone shared and swallowed their pride; Then we'd see the day when nobody died --'If Everyone Cared' by Nickelback |
User: LauraM62
Member since: 08-10-2003 Total posts: 246 
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From: MaryW
Date: 10-25-2005, 11:09 AM (11 of 26)
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Denim, flannels and linen have progressive shrinkage. It is a pain but very worth it to prewash these fabrics.
MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
|
From: sewingdiva
Date: 10-26-2005, 01:07 AM (12 of 26)
I think i'm going to find out about the flannel the hard way - the pajama pants i made my boyfriend will probably end up being more like clam diggers  . I only pre-washed the fabric once before sewing them.But at least i'll know better for the next pair, which i should be making before Christmas. |
User: sewingdiva
Member since: 10-23-2005 Total posts: 22 |
From: esrun3
Date: 10-26-2005, 09:33 AM (13 of 26)
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Uh Oh! I never knew that. Hope the pj's I made my granddaughter for Christmas are too big then! The boys are getting cotton as they don't like being real warm. Guess I'll be washing the flannel more often before I use it. Amazing the little things you find out from this place! And I've been sewing for an awful lot of years! Lyn
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User: esrun3
Member since: 12-02-2004 Total posts: 2345 |
From: MissKittyDillon
Date: 10-26-2005, 01:02 PM (14 of 26)
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I am also new to sewing, but have learned from my MIL who has been sewing since she was a girl. She taught me to wash everything in warm water and dry it on hot. If you do that, when you wash it after it is a garment it likely won't shrink very much as most things are washed in cold and dried on medium heat. I also read in one of my quilting books to wash all washable fabrics in warm water and not cold because warm water will disolve the chemicals that are used in making the material and cold water will only displace it while it is washing, but will settle back on the material when the water drains away.
Marci
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User: MissKittyDillon
Member since: 09-28-2005 Total posts: 33 
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From: paroper
Date: 10-27-2005, 04:42 AM (15 of 26)
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I've been sewing about 40 years and the only time I prewash is when I have fabrics I know will shrink (or fade) like flannel or some cottons and will be washed in day to day life. If I have a fabric that I do not expect to shrink or fade if cared for properly, I do not wash them. They would not be washed in a clothing factory and I don't wash them either. I like my clothing to look and feel new. If I didn't I would wash new clothing from the store too. If I am mixing two fabrics whose colors may run or that are not of the same type and they are both washable, I wash those before cutting. If I were a quilter, I would, without question wash everything that was going into a quilt because of the fabric mixes. Most knit/lycra fabrics are supposed to either be hung to dry or dried flat. They do not normally shrink if they are cared for properly. Since I don't have a way to properly dry 3-4 yards of knit/lycra (or spandex) fabric, I sure wouldn't try that. I would expect it to shrink terribly in a dryer and I don't think I could handle it in a manner to keep from stretching it if wet anyway. Be sure and ask about proper care of any fabric purchased (it is getting harder to get that info...used to be plainly labled on the bolt). Don't assume that all fabrics are wash and wear (or iron) because many many are not.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: bridesmom
Date: 10-28-2005, 06:13 AM (16 of 26)
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I find our Fabricland store is really good about putting down the care instruction number on the little paper that you take to the till (I'm having another air bubble moment - what do you call that little ticket anyhow). The Joann's in Bellingham also does that which makes it really nice when you get home and decide if you need to wash it first or not. I'd hate to wash something that needed drycleaning. As far as the pj pants, clam digger's are in! A tip - make your hems really big on pj pants. I double my hems, so if they are a 2 inch hem there is still another 2 inches tucked inside. Even if there is a little faded crease when you let them down, they are still pj pants and it's not like everyone at work will see them. If its for a girl, you could always add on a nice lace hem which I have done, or a band of a plain flannel to match, so it kind of looks like a cuff. Does it sound like I've done the same thing???? Laura
Tickled pink with my Innovis 4000D |
User: bridesmom
Member since: 01-21-2004 Total posts: 2026 |
From: LauraM62
Date: 10-28-2005, 09:54 AM (17 of 26)
I know that some may say that you shouldn't dry knits and/or lycra knits, but lets be real, when you have a house of 3 kids, and a husband that may help with laundry you have to be prepared  I find that by washing & drying fabrics (3 times for high shrinkage items) that I save myself from the kiddos & dh! When making clothing for kids, and they wear allot of knits, to get them clean after a good time playing, you generally will have to wash them with warm water many times more So the more shrinkage I get out prior to making the item the safer I am
LauraM
SW Indiana If everyone cared and nobody cried; If everyone loved and nobody lied; If everyone shared and swallowed their pride; Then we'd see the day when nobody died --'If Everyone Cared' by Nickelback |
User: LauraM62
Member since: 08-10-2003 Total posts: 246
|
From: opalstudio
Date: 11-04-2005, 03:21 PM (18 of 26)
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I gave you wrong information about telling which is the right side of the fabric!! It was in the new issue of Threads that I just picked up this week. For years I knew this to be a hard and fast rule...until about 3 months ago. One of my classes was making a pair of stretch leggings, so we were using cotton/lycra jersey. Jersey is supposed to roll to the good side, but when testing the fabrics the students brought in one girl had fabric that rolled to the wrong side! I have to say, I was VERY surprised. I can't account for this...don't know why it happened, and even after laundering it still curled to the wrong side. Does anybody here know any reason why this would happen??? Jo-Anne
sewing is good for you! Studio Opal, Centre for the Sewing Arts |
User: opalstudio
Member since: 11-03-2005 Total posts: 17 
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From: mommydionne
Date: 11-05-2005, 07:29 AM (19 of 26)
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Nope, I tend to look at the needle holes on the selvedge and then mark the sides with painters tape. The good side is supposed to be the side where the needles go in, the bad side where the needles come out. I have lately been sewing with a lot of sports fabric, polypropylene wicking fabric etc and they don't "work" properly unless they are right side out. But lots of knits look the same till you get everything together and realize the sleeves have a different "sheen" to them.
Jeanette
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User: mommydionne
Member since: 01-08-2004 Total posts: 838 
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From: opalstudio
Date: 11-05-2005, 06:35 PM (20 of 26)
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This is so true! It takes some practice to be able to see the grain and identify the front and back of knits...sometimes a magnifying glass is the way to go with ultra-fine knits. There are always ribs that look like long lines of 'v's on the good side and horizontal rows of courses that look like little scallops on the wrong side, just like hand-knitting only smaller. http://webstore.quiltropolis.net/stores_app/images/images_398/Fusionlg.jpg (back side) (front side) Hope this helps original poster... Jo-Anne
sewing is good for you! Studio Opal, Centre for the Sewing Arts |
User: opalstudio
Member since: 11-03-2005 Total posts: 17
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From: Tom Land
Date: 11-06-2005, 10:12 AM (21 of 26)
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Synthetics need no prewashing since they wont shrink but you said the bolt content label was missing. I would prewash if not 100% sure of the content. Not only does prewashing prevent after construction shrinkage but it also improves stitch quality... if you sew and then wash, your fabric may shrink but your thread will not(asumming you sew with a synthetic thread). This will cause you stitches to be a little loose looking.
Have fun or don't do it, Tom
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User: Tom Land
Member since: 09-21-2005 Total posts: 514 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 11-06-2005, 02:22 PM (22 of 26)
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I read somewhere that a single knit rolls to the wrong side and a double knit to the right side..Maybe in SewNews... or Sew Savvy...
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022 
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From: paroper
Date: 11-06-2005, 05:40 PM (23 of 26)
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I don't ever spend much time thinking about the roll. I always go by the look of the fabric. The machine knit fabric doesn't look all that different from hand knit...just a whole lot finer.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 11-07-2005, 08:15 AM (24 of 26)
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I always thought the right side of any fabric is the side you want to show. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: bridesmom
Date: 11-08-2005, 03:36 AM (25 of 26)
I like your thinking Dorothy. I've done that, used the wrong side of the fabric just because I liked the look better than the regular side. I did have to learn which was the right side of fleece though, cause I was finding that I had some pieces sewn with both sides up and you could definitely tell a difference (if that made sense at all) 
Laura
Tickled pink with my Innovis 4000D |
User: bridesmom
Member since: 01-21-2004 Total posts: 2026 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 11-08-2005, 06:56 AM (26 of 26)
|
Well, Laura, there is something to be said for consistency. Not always though. I found some beautiful dark brown wool-like poly that has stitching in red and gold that looks a lot like reversible blackwork on it and I'm still trying to sort out how to modify a jacket pattern so both sides can be the right side. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
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