Linen Questions ...

[GryffinSong]

Another question. Normally I would wash in warm (the way I intend to wash it). I seem to recall someone suggesting that I wash in hot and/or wash the linen several times prior to cutting and sewing, to make very certain that its done all its shrinking. Any suggestions?

My first linen arrived today, and is actually a 65/45 linen/cotton blend. I'm washing it now in warm water and plan to dry on my normal dryer settings. Just wondering if I should do more.

I'm very excited, by the way, because this color (a soft blue) looks great alongside the teal linen that I already have.

Thanks!

[gem]

I wash/dry hot/high three times to make 100% sure it's done shrinking/bleeding. The other huge benefit to this is that it makes the linen a lot less wrinkle-prone. And softer than you thought possible. :b

The only time I didn't do this was with the linen damask for my corset, and that's because after the first wash, it started to pill--which I have never, ever had linen do on me before! It scared me, so I called it quits... and I've never had to wash the corset, anyway.

[GryffinSong]

Awesome, thanks! Through the dryer it goes, and then back into the washer for wash #2.

[isabelladangelo]

For linen/cotton - called fustian in period- just wash once.   The cotton will prevent it from shrinking too much.  Rather than doing anything too crazy with the seams, just cut out the pieces, roll the edges, and then sew up the pieces together.  This might mean you have to make the seam allowance a bit bigger but it also makes it WAY easier should you need to take the garment apart or change it later on. 

[Kate XXXXXX]

I tend to use felled seams in linen.  They lie nice and flat and are very strong and self finishing.

I have half a house full of sewing kit, and am rapidly growing a room full of costumes.

[GryffinSong]

Thanks.

I'm not liking the feel of the linen/cotton as well as pure linen. Live and learn. It didn't really soften up in the wash. I did dig up a shirt I'd found at a thrift store a few years ago. It was a woman's oversized shirt. I removed all the pockets, buttons and button holes, added some trim, and am going to sew up the center front to make it a simple tunic/shirt. It turns out that its linen/rayon and it feels AWESOME.

So, for anyone wondering which blends to use, I recommend pure linen or linen/rayon for comfort and softness. Of course this is a very limited sample size, so I don't know if it can be extrapolated to all fabric brands.

[stonebiscuit]

Rather than doing anything too crazy with the seams, just cut out the pieces, roll the edges, and then sew up the pieces together. 

And the Solving All stonebiscuit's Problems In One Sentence Award goes to...

[isabelladangelo]

Rather than doing anything too crazy with the seams, just cut out the pieces, roll the edges, and then sew up the pieces together. 

And the Solving All stonebiscuit's Problems In One Sentence Award goes to...

It's what they did in period.  :-)   Well, you need to sew down the rolled edges and then just sew on the very edge of the rolled edge using a whip stitch to be truly period.  I've done a couple of handsewn garments like that.  If I remember, I'll take some pictures tonight.  The fun thing about the chemise I did like this, is that I used linen thread and that thing will never come apart without one heck of a seam ripper.  I throw it in the washing machine and the dryer without any issues.  It's worn a lot better than any of my machine sewn pieces. 

[GryffinSong]

Pictures would definitely help me. I'm very visual, and am not quite getting it. 

[gem]

I'm with Gryf! I'm not sure what you mean by "roll the edges."

....That said, I have a gazillion things made with linen, and the only thing I ever finished the seams on was a shirt I made for Milord. I've never had issues with fraying or seams coming apart. I wonder if part of this is the heavy pre-shrinking I do before I sew...

I also have a chemise I sewed entirely by hand (French seams), and Isabella's right--those stitches aren't going ANYWHERE. LOL

***

Gryffin, give your linen/cotton shirt some time. The cotton definitely adds some crispness that might take some time to appreciate!  Milord actually prefers the blend; I think he finds it feels a little more substantial (he's a Beefy-T guy IRL)... but I definitely know what you mean about the difference between the airy & cuddly hanky linen, vs the blend!

(Oh, now I'm wondering... did you actually sew it up yet? Or just do the pre-wash? Do you have enough for a skirt or accessories like an apron? LOTS you can do with this, if you don't want it right up against your skin!!)

[GryffinSong]

I haven't cut into it yet. I'd wanted it as an under dress, but yes, I'm thinking over apron or skirt is the best use of it. My mother is not into ren, but wants to come a few times. We'll probably make a simple skirt out of it for her. I have six yards, so there'll be enough for several items.

Yeah, I'll give the fabric a chance. My skin is pretty sensitive, though, especially over my chest scars, so I need something soft up there, at least for the inner layer. Perhaps as a second layer on cooler days it'll work out well.

[isabelladangelo]

015 by jubileel_insaneone, on Flickr

Not the best picture but this is the gusset of my chemise before I added it to the main body.  You can see each edge is rolled and sew down.  I then whip stitched the pieces together to form the seams. 

[GryffinSong]

Oh, I think I see. So the only thing holding the two pieces of fabric together are the whip stitches. The other stitches are just to secure the raw edges?

[isabelladangelo]

The raw edges are rolled under.   They are completely encased inside the fabric rolled edge.   That edge is sewn down.   Then, I whip stitched the edges together.  I've done it where I just sew the rolled edges with a machine together and it works fine as well. 

[GryffinSong]

Thanks, I've got it.