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From: thedolphinlady
Date: 03-11-2007, 04:46 PM (1 of 7)
| Recently my daughter made a lovely blouse using an expensive batik material. It fell apart after washing. She was so discouraged, and so am I because I have tons of batiks and am afraid to use them. What precautions should I use? Any feedback on this would be so helpful. And Oh, I so appreciate the feedback I've gotten on other issues on this forum. |
User: thedolphinlady
Member since: 02-14-2007 Total posts: 33 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 03-11-2007, 05:23 PM (2 of 7)
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What kind of fabric was it. I've used a lot of rayon batiks and never had a problem. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: Sancin
Date: 03-11-2007, 07:11 PM (3 of 7)
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Sounds like it may have been a rayon. Did it have a lovely drape? Some rayon doesn't wash well. I doubt, but may be wrong, that it was the dying process. It is always important to find out the fabric type and the washing instructions - usually on the end of the bold. *~*~*~* Nancy*~*~*~* " I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once."
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User: Sancin
Member since: 02-13-2005 Total posts: 895 
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From: Chrysantha
Date: 03-11-2007, 09:40 PM (4 of 7)
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I have hundreds of batiks in my stash, I wear it and make clothes out of it..I've NEVER had a problem, not with wear or fade...I quilt with it a LOT...all the quilts are still in one piece... Where did you get the fabric ??? Chrys
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User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002 Total posts: 2414 
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From: Sancin
Date: 03-11-2007, 11:33 PM (5 of 7)
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As I said, some rayons, especially older ones. Or perhaps some imported ones. Any idea how old the fabric was? Older rayon used to shrink. When I was first starting to sew we were told not to wash rayon. My daughter has purchased garments that have fallen apart and so she won't wash rayon. I wash it, but don't put it in the dryer - gets too wrinkled. I used to make batik on cotton fabric and wool and still have a lot of supplies. I can't think of anything in dyes or mordants than would cause fabric to cause the fabric to fall apart. The main problem I have had with commercial batik fabric is some of the stronger colours bleed. When I make batik fabric I rinse and rinse. Did the fabric disintegrate at the seams? Were the seams finished in some way? Was the fabric loosely woven?. It will be interesting to find out what caused this. *~*~*~* Nancy*~*~*~* " I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once."
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User: Sancin
Member since: 02-13-2005 Total posts: 895
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From: thedolphinlady
Date: 03-13-2007, 07:42 AM (6 of 7)
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Thanks everyone who responded and asked more questions about what the problem was. The batik is cotton. And my daughter made pintucks in it, than washed it in the washing machine. It fell apart. I don't think it was old material. I'm wondering if the stitch lines perforated the fabric in the pintucks? 
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User: thedolphinlady
Member since: 02-14-2007 Total posts: 33 |
From: Teri
Date: 03-15-2007, 11:50 PM (7 of 7)
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I used to sew for a designer who only used rayon batiks, her washing instructions were to hand wash the garments and dry on a hanger. Sometimes when sewing my hands would get so dirty, especially with the darker colors, and the fabric would have small bits of unprocessed dye that would melt when ironed. The hand dying process and chemical composition of dyes differs from maker to maker. I suggest you wash and dry any fabric before you sew, then all shrinkage and problems will occur before the sewing process. Rayon will wear out if washed in hard water.
Teri
"Where are we going, and why am I in this basket?" |
User: Teri
Member since: 09-14-2005 Total posts: 66 
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