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Laundering Fabric

Started by PrincessSara, May 17, 2008, 09:24:28 PM

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PrincessSara

How would I launder raw silk noil?  Does it wrinkle, and if so can it be ironed?

Thanks!

Baroness Doune

Hand wash in cold water, drip dry.

If you feel adventurous, you could take a 6 inch by 6 inch swatch, zig-zag or serge the edges, wash in cold water using the delicate cycle of the washer and dry on the low heat setting of the dryer.  If that turns out well, you can treat the rest of the yardage in the same way.

Iron with the silk setting of your iron.

silverstah

Personally, I machine wash in cold water and tumble dry warm, and I've never had any problems.   Like the Baroness said, you can definitely iron it with the silk setting on your iron. :)

I second the Baroness' suggestion of washing and ironing a test swatch before you throw the whole thing in the wash - that way you know exactly how your specific fabric works. :)
Catarina Caravello - Mistress of the Bobbins
\"Arrrgh.  Feed Dogs.  Arrrgh.\"  -The Pirate, sewing

Lady Aldyth

My new silk arrived the wrong color  >:( to match the trim silk I ADORED.
So... I boiled up some RIT dye on the stove and threw it on in!   :o (I googled a LOT about this!)

Firstly...
Silk dyes BEAUTIFULLY!
Secondly...
They boil the cocoons to release the threads... so silk can be, and IS boiled!
Thirdly...
This removes the "glue", so it WILL give it a softer hand (less crisp).
Fourthly...
colorchange silk will still be colorchange after an overdye (light dye - in my case, tan over yellow/red colorchange orange), but not quite so vividly changing.

Easy answer...
If you EVER plan to need to wash that gown, treat it NOW like you will then. This will probably mean warm water wash and delicate dry (low heat) at the very least in MY house! It is great to say "Silk dries fast... so I will never machine dry this dress!"... until you are running late and need to get packed for faire and need that darned thing dry!

It irons best if you leave it ever-so-slightly damp.

Oh... and it is best to use a mild shampoo and conditioner for washing in lieu of laundry products! Even in the machine. 

gem

Ok, first: what's the difference between noil and dupioni?  I know there is one, I'm just trying to wrap my brain around what it is.

Second:  Silk Road Fabrics has a whole page on the care of silk noil.

Queen Maggie

A general suggestion for yards of fabric to be washed (I always do so, so my garb can be cleaned: just gets all the finishes and such out of it, and shrinks it as much as it's going to)

Stitch together the cut ends of the fabric just before you wash: then you can iron, and put it away, and when you get back to using it (for something completely different than you'd originally envisioned) you knowthat it's already been washed and you can start laying out!
Queen Maggie
wench#617, Bard #013
aka Mistress Mannerly, Goodlief Bailey, Cousin Undine Mannerly, Mother Lowe

Queen Maggie

Quote from: gem on May 20, 2008, 04:12:53 PM
Ok, first: what's the difference between noil and dupioni?  I know there is one, I'm just trying to wrap my brain around what it is.

Second:  Silk Road Fabrics has a whole page on the care of silk noil.

Noil tends to be softer, and less finished than dupioni. Dupioni also has a very iridescent color due to the weave. it's thinner than the rough, soft, raw noil.
Queen Maggie
wench#617, Bard #013
aka Mistress Mannerly, Goodlief Bailey, Cousin Undine Mannerly, Mother Lowe

Lady Kathleen of Olmsted

I do all my undergarments, shirts, chemises, and other fabrics in a Gentle Cycle, warm wash and cold rinse, Hang Dry. That is due in part to embellishing and the laces.
"As with Art as in Life, nothing succeeds like excess.".....Oscar Wilde

PrincessSara

Thanks for all the help!  I washed two test strips, one on regular cycle and one on gentle, but I didn't like the way they turned out.  So I just wore it very very carefully so I wouldn't get it dirty.  And then it rained, a lot, so now I'll have to hand wash some of the mud off.

Next question, how many times should I wash cotton broadcloth, canvas, and muslin in order to have maximum pre-shrinkage?

isabelladangelo

Quote from: gem on May 20, 2008, 04:12:53 PM
Ok, first: what's the difference between noil and dupioni?  I know there is one, I'm just trying to wrap my brain around what it is.

Second:  Silk Road Fabrics has a whole page on the care of silk noil.

Noil, or raw silk, has a slight smell to it.  It hasn't been "processed" and tends to be "waste" silk.   (I'm highly allergic to Silk noil.  Luckily, I can typically smell it before it becomes a problem.)

Dupioni is processed silk that has occasional slubs of "double cocoons" which were considered undesirable, or lesser quality silk, up until the 1920's.  It has no smell and tends to be finer. 

gypsylakat

wait what?
Dupioni is processed silk, yet undesirable, and is yet finer???
I'm so confused
"A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point.
That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know."

TiaLD77

Gypsylacat;
for Most H/A costuming Dupioni isnt quite right because of the slubs, it was considered flawed. a smooth silk was desired, something like a taffetta. That is not to say that it was never ever used & that you will go to the special hell reserved for people who talk at the theater  ;D, Jenn Thompson has a great article on this here http://www.festiveattyre.com/research/silk.html

I use Dupioni for my garb, wash in cold water, line dry or low heat tumble. Havent had any problems 
I want to play with your head like a drunk kitten:)

Lady Anne Clare

Quote from: PrincessSara on June 05, 2008, 10:43:53 PM

Next question, how many times should I wash cotton broadcloth, canvas, and muslin in order to have maximum pre-shrinkage?
I washed mine twice in hot water with high heat in the dryer.  Not to sure if that's maximum shrinkage but it didn't seem to shrink the second wash.
I love historical sewing for the lack of zippers ;)

isabelladangelo

Quote from: gypsylakat on June 05, 2008, 11:24:42 PM
wait what?
Dupioni is processed silk, yet undesirable, and is yet finer???
I'm so confused

Sorry for the confusion.  Silk Noil, or raw silk, is a relatively "new" invention.  They simply did not use silk noil.  It didn't exist as a weave in the Renaissance.  There is some evidence that they might have used the waste silk (aka, raw silk) for padding in Japanesse armor but that is really it.  All silk was processed in the middle ages/Renaissance.

gem

Thanks, Isabella!  Some poking around actually *looking* at samples made it a lot clearer (all the written descriptions sounded the same.  They should hire you to describe them).

As for the cottons issue,

I only wash and dry once (on high).  Baroness, what's your take (oh, shrinkage mogul)?

Katie Bookwench

Quote from: PrincessSara on June 05, 2008, 10:43:53 PM
And then it rained, a lot, so now I'll have to hand wash some of the mud off.

I'm sure you realize that the moment you made the decision NOT to wash it, and then stepped out of doors, you were sorely tempting Murphy's Law. 

It will ALWAYS rain on a DRY CLEAN ONLY gown. Well, at least in Hollygrove, it does.  :D

I've made that mistake myself before, with home dec trims. I ended up with a pink chemise from the burgundy braid on my bodice after a good deluge.   :(
Katie O'Connell - Hollygrove Library
(aka The Bookwench)
Licensed Wench - IWG Local 57

Baroness Doune

Once through the washer (hot) and dryer (also hot) is not enough for cotton velveteen.  The first time I washed (warm) and dried (warm) the completed bodice, which was the second wash for the fabric, it shrunk.

That's why I am making a new bodice this weekend.

PrincessSara

Thanks for the help!  There's a part two to this question though, because I just found out that my washing machine won't run the "Regular" wash cycle.  Will washing the fabric on the "Gentle" or "PermaPress" cycle give me the right results?

Margaret

I use the gentle cycle and the hottest water the fabric can stand. 
Mistress Margaret Baynham
The Sweete Ladye
IWG #1656 MCL
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