[Bryn-gwlad] Tip on pre-washing fabrics

[Lucia Digioia]

If you're making an outfit that you plan to wash (i.e., not dry-clean-only), it's always a good idea to pre-wash the fabric (twice!) before beginning to construct the garment. However, washing yard goods can be an iffy proposition, as the cut ends may fray and the action of a home washing machine is almost guaranteed to turn a length of fabric into a very tightly twisted rope. So here's a tip:


==Before you throw your yardage in the washing machine, 
fold it in half (end to end, not selvage to selvage) and 
sew the two cut ends together using a zigzag stitch.==


Fabric sewn into a loop this way is much less likely to wrap itself into a rope; the sewn-together ends keep fraying to a minimum; and after you've washed and dried it this way, you can just cut off the sewn zigzag with a rotary cutter or scissors. You will typically lose less than an inch of fabric. Try it; it really works!

(Stefan, I have mentioned this tip to you before; if it's not already in the Florilegium, you have my permission to add it.)


             selvages
       ===================
      ||<                 |
      ||<                 |
cut   ||<                 |
edges ||<                 |
      ||<  zigzag         |
      ||<                 | fold
      ||<                 |
      ||<                 |
      ||<                 |
      ||<                 |
       -------------------'
             selvages
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