HOW to pre-washing your fabric before sewing in 4 steps, so you don't ruin all your hard work!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 มิ.ย. 2024
- You know you have to pre-wash your fabric before sewing, but HOW exactly? What do you do to stop fraying? How to dry it so it doesn't ruin the grainline? I'm going to show you how I pre-wash a whole pile of fabric lengths!
0:00 Intro
2:48 Preparation
3:44 Sort
6:26 Wash
8:22 Dry
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I pre-wash my fabric on the highest and harshest setting it can handle. Particularly with cotton and linen -- I want to get the shrinkage out of the way.
Even though I only was my clothes on cold cycle and hang dry my clothes, I also prewash on the harshest settings to make sure it can stand up to accidentally being washed on hot or put in the dryer
Nice idea 🤣 i wash on normal but I always use fabric softner
@@kaitlinrosholm6378 especially if you have kids learning to help!
Same here, the way I think about it, is, if I die, how will the next person who has my clothing, wash it. I prefer to put it through the wringer, short of beating it with a whip. Also, with the new HE machines, especially mine, uses a lot less water, barely any water, I can’t guarantee that hot water will actually soak into the fabric. I learned my lesson after a top shrank because pre wash didn’t get the garment soaked. For cottons/ linen, I handwash first and soak again in HOT water for a few hours, then hours later I dry it in the drier. Sad that I have to do that with todays machines. After that, I put it in my regular loads when my apparel is finished.
I also can’t can’t just wash one item in my machine, it’s large capacity, and unbalances. My machine likes 15lbs of loads. That’s another reason I hand wash my new fabric.
A first wash with mild temperatures was actually a mistake I made with some new cotton towels. The towels are white with one bright colored stripe. After the first mild wash some colors bled into the white. A vendor in a shop specialized on bedsheets and towels told me that would likely have been avoided, if I had used the higher temperature that the towels are made to withstand. The access dye would have been washed away rather than transfer onto the white parts.
As a beginner sewer, this information is very valuable. I was hoping that pre washing was kinda optional, as, once I got my fabric back from the store, I was eager to start sewing. But I've watched your wonderful video and read lots of the comments, and now I know for sure that preparing your fabric before you sew is essential. Thank you Evelyn and everyone who's shared their experience.
I learned about pre-washing the hard way. I was 14, and making my second dress, so of course I thought I knew everything! The dress was just snug enough after washing that it always reminded me to stand up straight. Then I had to complicate matters by using a hot iron and melting the nylon zipper halfway down. Getting into that garment on Sunday mornings was a struggle, but I loved my yellow dress!😄
thats funny cause im currently 14, making my second dress too, I'm sooo glad that I found out about pre washing cause I didn't think it was a thing
Finishing the edges. This is another "why didn't I think of that?" moment. I had resorted to washing by hand to avoid the fraying in the washer. Thank you, Evelyn!
🤣 I know Mary, I didn't know about it until told me too! Happy less hand washing!
It never occurred to me either until my neighbour showed me. That's also how she can tell if fabric from her stash has been prewashed or not. No overlocked edge, not washed.
Great point. Going to do this for sure
I've been zigzagging my edges for a bit, but I've definitely been there too!
@@Evelyn__Wood Thank You!
I used to work at a craft store and from that experience I can tell you with 100% confidence that your fabric is DIRTY when you buy it. It may not look dirty, but so many people have touched it, I’ve even seen people eating food like French fries while looking at fabric, and fabric bolts get knocked onto the floor all of the time. Kids would also basically rub themselves against the fake fur since it’s so soft, which I understand, but also kids always seem to be dirty or sticky or snotty which you don’t want on your fabrics. So wash your fabrics well, and with the coronavirus pandemic maybe throw some laundry sanitizer in while you’re at it.
I know right! Clothes in stores too! I usually get the 'but it's clean, isn't it?' Response when I wash new anything. I also tell them something similar to this, and then they are also washing everything 'new' 😅
@@Evelyn__Wood I learnt somewhere that most clothing sold in stores is made overseas. U.S. government regulations require clothing imported from another country to be sprayed with an insecticide. So it's important to wash new clothes!
The detergent should be enough as soap and water break down the virus outer cell, but use more if you are comfortable with that
My mum worked in a haberdashery & yes, some fabric is dirty. It has usually been in a warehouse, then a shipping container, another warehouse & then sometimes a stockroom too. None of these places are particularly clean.
I'm glad you mentioned how fabric can get dirty in a store. I used to work in a bookstore and if you think customers are clean, guess again. I always prewash my fabric the way I plan on washing my finished item.
Quilters tip! Make a mobius strip ,Yards of fabric sew the ends together with one twist. Helps to Keeps the fabric from balling up in the washer and dryer.
I need to do this! Thankyou!
@@Evelyn__Wood it often helps ensure you don't have as much ironing too! Can make it harder to hang out though.
WHAT this is brilliant!!!!
OMG! Mind blown! I totally must do this to my yardage from now on!
I just came to say the same thing
The only tips I would add (I apologize if it was mentioned but I missed it) is 1) to face the wrong or non-fashion side up when line drying to avoid uneven fading/streaking caused by UV rays and 2) bring it in to iron just before it is completely dry in order to avoid bird droppings and limit dust.
One of our sewing mavens here in the USA swears by pressing linen on the hottest setting BEFORE you wash it. She says it sets the finish on the linen so it will be far less wrinkly for the life of your garment.
That’s been coming up lots lately on vlogs, but there’s another step I can’t remember exactly what it is. Had to do with sprinkling water on the linen. 😊
Linda sounds like something that needs to be tested.... I feel a video idea coming on here 😀
I remember my grandmother pressing linen with vinegar water before washing. As a kid, I hated the smell and thought she was washing the fabric to remove the smell of the vinegar. Couldn't understand her pressing and washing, just to have to press it again before cutting the fabric.
This sounds interesting. Worth trying
@@Evelyn__Wood I would be interested in further discussion of this as I use a lot of linen. Also I was wondering if treating the fabric to encourage color fastness is still required/recommendation or perhaps modern methods no longer require.
Mum taught me to add salt to the water if you were having trouble with material that would continually colour run. Works a treat, especially fabrics that you have home dyed
Huzzah for mordants!
+1
I was taught the same thing, particularly with things like brand new towels.
How much salt?
How much and should I do it in a separate container so it doesn’t mess up the washer?
I laughed at you in your hat, sunnies, and long sleeves. I live on the Gold Coast and that’s how I hang out my washing too. I also have the frog! Thank you for the video.
Hello Angela, how are you?
Thank you for your videos! Although i never do regular laundry this way, I always prewash in hot and tumble dry on hot. That way i get the harshest possible laundering out of the way and i never have to worry again about how something is washed later. Another reason i prewash and dry in hot is that I make a lot of baby quilts as gifts, and i don’t know how the quilt will be laundered. I always tell my quilt recipients to use it and wash it and love it till it falls apart. Baby the baby, not the quilt. 😀
I think your right, when it's a gift wash it like they might! 😀
I will soak linen in my bathtub for at least 4 hours to rehydrate it. it washes and wears better and the fibers are more stable if you do this. then wash and dry as you will the garment. linen as a fiber is dried out during the spinning and weaving process . cotton is very much a wash and go fiber. silk need to be washed with a hair product as detergents do not have enough fat or oil in them to prtect the fiber. wool is and animal by product so it need to be washed with hair product also. this where lanolin comes from so wool likes oil based soap. if you have lye soap it is great for wool. NOT all fibers can be washed with laundry soaps. thanks for letting me rant information.
It's very good information, thanks for sharing 😀
Well now I feel dumb. Holy smokes! Why didn't it occur to me that animal fibers should be washed with hair care products? It totally makes sense!
I've heard that about wool, just totally forgot about it . Makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Thanks for the reminder. Gotta love 💘 all these comments after Evelyn's videos. I'm constantly learning /relearning something each time. Thanks Evelyn.
Oh my gosh there is so much I don't know! I have not heard of rehydrating fabric. Do you soak the linen in the bathtub after you acquire/buy the fabric but before pre-washing? And do you ever re-hydrate linen again after the garment is finished?
@@hey_virginia yes for pre wash. no for after the garment is made. I use warm water for this . run the fabric the length of the tub back and forth so there are as few fold as possible to protect the fibers from breakage. drain the tub,press down to remove extra water and let sit for about an hour. do not wring out the fabric. I use a plastic tote to put thefabric in and take it to my washer then wash as I intend to wash the garment. if you dry in a tumble dryer check and empty the lint filter after 20 minutes. you may need to dot his more than once, before your fabric is dry.
We learned in school, how to wash and prewash and I have been doing it that way ever since.
. To stop shrinking soak the fabric for a while in cold water before washing it.
. To stop color from leaking put about 1 cup of vinegar into the cold water you soak it in.
. And to be sure I have stopped the color from leaking, I also put vinegar into the washer instead of any softeners.
.. and I’ve found out to put the fabric into a washing net, then the ends frey out less and the fabric gets less distorted. The net should be just big enough to put the folded fabric into easily and and leaves only a little room for the fabric to move.
With these tips I have very little trouble with washing new fabric.
Thanks for your great advice. So far I have been pre-washing my fabrics in cool to cold water with colour bio detergent, and putting vinegar with cold water in the penultimate rinse to remove traces of detergent, I never realised vinegar would stop colour from leaking. I have thrown away some collected scraps of cute fabric because it leaked colour so badly, straight out of the basin into the bin.
I thrift much of my fabric and prewashing is a must for me. Mostly because I'm very allergic to the type of dust mites that like to settle in stuff that lays untouched in closets for long periods of time, haha!
I'd love to see a video about garment care!!!!
💝✂️ I discovered a way to sew faster and easier even as a beginner, I talk more about it in my channel, I hope it helps those who need it. 😘❤️🌹
You can sew the fabric into a mobius strip if your fabric is super long to avoid it getting super tangled. A mobius strip is essentially a circle with a single twist in it.
Evelyn, how precious you are for sharing your channel. We appreciate this.
Awww 🥰 Thankyou so much, your appreciation makes all the long hours spent making these videos worth it!
The selvedges protect those edges, so I just trim a half-inch triangle at all four corners. That stops most of the raveling on most fabrics.
I like the way you finish the edges better, and I might try it, but up til now, I’ve just clipped the corners.
Great info on how to prewash, and I’m always glad to find another fan of air-drying. I love that semi-stiff feel of air-dried and especially sun-dried fabric. Plus what if we dried all towels and bed linens outdoors? It can be a personal commitment to reversing a bit of climate change. We can make a difference.
I'm not able to afford the nice fabric so I get cheaper fabrics. I will buy 1/4 of a yard extra, wash it, then cut the ends straight on the grain at the edges. I get my hubby to pull on one corner and I pull diagonally on the other corner to straighten the grain on the whole fabric. I used to dye fabric a lot too. I've found calsoline oil in the prewash gets rid of all sizing and machine oils. This makes the dye take evenly.
💝✂️ I discovered a way to sew faster and easier even as a beginner, I talk more about it in my channel, I hope it helps those who need it.
Thanks for the tips. I love to dry my wash outside. Nothing smells better than fresh sundried sheets. Thanks again for the reminder that spring is coming and the line is wanting.
Right! Line dry in the sun is the best!
Evelyn, I use my overlocker/serger to finish the edges but I sew the two ends together as it helps keep the length from becoming a twisted mess in the dryer.
💝✂️ I discovered a way to sew faster and easier even as a beginner, I talk more about it in my channel, I hope it helps those who need it. ❤️🌹🥰
@@atelierangela3556 it's rude to promote your channel on someone else's videos.
It seems counter-intuitive, but I sew the ends together in a mobias strip kind of thing. It actually works! The fabric doesn't turn into a giant knot, and overlocking keeps it from getting snarled with loose threads.
I overlock...but didn't think about sewing the ends together...I can't stand that twisted mess!
Linda what a great idea! I never thought of this either, and would help so that tangle mess in the washing machine too! Thanks for sharing your tip with us! 😀
For smaller pieces, I handwash and use my "fabric dedicated" large salad spinner to "wring out" my fabric!
Great video! When I first started sewing I was sewing for babies including the fitted cloth diapers. I think I washed the diaper material 3 times in hot water and hot dry. I was so worried about shrinking! Then for everything else once in hot. After a while I realized that none of my regular laundry was done in hot so why was I prewashing in hot. Now I’m much more layed back about it. Through with my mask making blitz I did do a hot wash and dry. As the masks were gifts for friends and family I wanted to make sure they would survive almost anything done. I’ve also taken to carrying a few new ones in the car to give to elderly people who are reusing disposable masks!! After I found out that my parents were! And yes I know that they are now saying that the disposable ones are better than cloth but I actually talked to an elderly woman who’s mask looked like it had been rolling around the bottom of her purse for a month!! So I think the cloth is better than that, at least it can be washed!
I agree if it is for a gift, make sure it last any washing they might do! 😀
To help prevent color runs in anything you wash -- When you wash your fabric put in 1 cup of white vinegar with your rinse cycle (I have a HE machine so I add it to the fabric softener tray) Also very good if your fabric/clothing is smelly or musty, the vinegar smell dissipates pretty quickly. I have reliably gotten gasoline smell out of shop towels in the wash this way!
I would love to hear more washing and care tips for clothing and fabric if you've got them Evelyn - Love your channel!
Not sure if new comments are read but just wanted to say, I love your red dress you have on, it’s beautiful and super flattering on you.
Yes please! Garment care would be a wonderful video!
When I prewash stretchy fabric, I place a bed sheet over several rungs of the clothesline and place the stretch fabric on top to dry. If not drying well, I'll switch out to a bed sheet with a dry one, put the stretch fabric back on top, and let finish drying. The bed sheet helps absorb some of the moisture and helps keep the keep the fabric from stretching out of shape.
I've also been known to wrap around a pillow, put a pillow case on top, close the end of the pillowcase, and throw in the dryer.
When I’m pre washing a lot of yardage I sew the ends together with a twist in the middle of it making it a Möbius strip. Then I run it through the washer and dryer. It doesn’t twist up or knot up when I do that. I usually use between eight and ten yards in a garment.
Yes! I use the mobius method for long yardage!
I’ve just started doing the Möbius strip technique and it works marvellously!
This is a BRILLIANT idea!! I will sing this next time, thanks for sharing it with us! 😀
Does that twist mean that you have to unpick it afterwards to dry it (if line drying)? Many thanks
I do too, it makes life a lot easier.
I wish someone had told me about pre-washing when I first started sewing because I had to learn the hard way.
Finished edges 💡I have preshrunk fabric for decades and wish I’d known about this years ago. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and knowledge. I love your videos.
I always dry with the wrong side to the sun, and I like drying garments inside-out too if they're in the sun. I have this idea that the colours won't fade as fast. I have no idea if it really makes a difference but it's what I learned for washing woollies (re knitting and crochet hobby) so it just carried on over to sewing! :-)
Definitely a good idea. UV light will fade colors over time. I used to have my fabric stash next to a window years ago and actually had lighter stripes on the folded fabric in some cases 😳.
And that window didn't even have direct sunlight.
I'm in a high UV place. Def makes all the diff
Yes, I do the same. I think it does make a difference with clothes and yardage. I further bleached some muslin that I thought was a little too vanilla by draping it over the top of a disused hooped garden bed this last summer . It was a long spell of sunny days and I think I let it go a little over a week--- two weeks tops-- and it definitely was paler. I agree that if you turn clothes inside out, if you dry outside, over time you will see the great difference.
Unless they are whites. The sun does a marvelous thing to white clothing right side out.
you should do a follow up video on which fabrics you can and can't throw into the washing machine to pre-wash... ie- silk vs cotton vs wool vs linen... etc...
You mentioned that you will discuss how to pre-wash really large quantities of fabric. I have 15m (16.4 yards) of Peachskin that I need to wash and don't want to cut before I do. Apart from the regular tips on fraying, etc., anything else you can add to make it easier will be appreciated. Thanks
If you go to the hardware store or building shop you can buy foam isolation covers for pipes. They are cilinders, hollow with an opening on the side. I did put them over the washing lines. That keeps the kinks away.
Pool noodles work for this as well.
Great video❤️ boy have I paid the price for forgetting to prewash a red Jersey 😭
Also... I like sewing the cotton lycra Jersey fabrics right sides together with a gathering stitch before washing to prevent rolling. After drying I just pull out the bobbin thread and voilà - no rolling 🙂
This is such a brilliant idea! Thankyou for sharing it 😀
@Iva Kaderková : you just saved my next project! thanks for the tip! :)
@@sarahmata6293 glad I helped somebody ☺️ just make sure you don't stretch the edge when pulling the bobbin thread out or it will roll anyway... Best hit it with the spray starch if you'll be handling the fabric a lot 🙂
Great reminder video!! Growing up we would prewash all our fabrics ( mainly cotton in those days) for our garments. Now that I'm learning to quilt, I have been told it is sacrilege to pre-wash fabric. Since I am learning to make quilts that people actually will use on a daily basis ( and not competition level), I will continue to prewash fabric and enjoy the process of sewing!! I love your videos, Evelyn!!
If you quilt with precuts, you don't wash anything in that quilt. Now some are going back to prewashing if you are using yardage. I am going back to prewashing. Especially if I have dark red. Red used to run, then new dyes came out that didn't run, then they decided the new dyes were not good for the environment so the even newer dyes are running, maybe not as much as the oldest dyes, but still, running.
💝✂️ I discovered a way to sew faster and easier even as a beginner, I talk more about it in my channel, I hope it helps those who need it. 😘❤️
@@suzannegogranogo9464 Yes, prewashing precuts is not a good idea! ☺ Prewashing yardage is the way to go. Thanks for the update!
Thanks for watching 😊😊
I always prewash beforehand for quilting, it's good to know the fabric has settled down before I use it!
I have been doing this for years. I learnt the hard way when a garment I made came out 2 sizes smaller after washing. Since it was a complicated pattern I was not impressed. On a related note, I always buy at least h
1/3 a metre (yard) of fabric. This allows for shrinkage and gives me a little extra room for mistakes or testing techniques.
Oh no, 2 sizes smaller 😵 That would have been so disappointing, but a good lesson learnt!
When I started sewing, I lived in a rather tropical climate, so there were mostly natural fibers. I learned to always wash those fibers before moving forward. It saved a lot of projects 😊
I like to use color grabbing sheets. I don't know how they work, but they are surprisingly useful!
💝✂️ I discovered a way to sew faster and easier even as a beginner, I talk more about it in my channel, I hope it helps those who need it. 🌹🥰
I use 2 of the color grabber sheets when I wash anything "new". I might use 2 again, the next time I wash the same article of clothing. I've yet to need to do that a third time.
What are these magic sounding things????
@@Evelyn__Wood they are available in the laundry isles here. Carbona color grabber, and you just put one sheet in the wash.
@@Evelyn__Wood it Woolies they are in a red box in the laundry isle near the washing machine cleaning stuff. If I am not washing a lot I just add a half of one in meant to help with dirt as well? Colour catcher I think they are called
That is a darling dress. Your words of advice are gold.
I made the mistake of not pre washing some curtain fabric. Made beautiuful curtains and was so proud, until they had to be washed and shrunk both in length and width. UHG! Thankfully I had saved the extra hem so just had to pick out seams and then have a much smaller hem. Have to get into this habit . Especially now with fabrics seeming to be cheaper made than ever before. Thank you for another wonderful video. Love your beautiful and enthusiastic smile. You are so encouraging and that makes a difference for all of us.
You must love us, Evelyn, since for our sakes you risked a fabric hairball on that unfinished edge!
In addition to your tricks I have used the multi-line drape with fabric pooled between the lines. Less weight per bend to support plus it can help handle longer lengths.
I do love you all Catherine, thanks for noticing 😅😅 BTW!
To wash or not to wash is a rather polarizing issue in quilting, too. But for me, if I am donating the quilt, I do not know how it will be cared for...most people are going to be mechanically washing and drying.
For clothing, I absolutely agree that you should prep your fabric in the manner that you will be caring for it as a garment! Great video! Thank you, Evelyn❤❤
i was litterally just wondering how the hell i'm supposed to wash 4 meters of fabric haha, perfect timing!
I add liquid starch to the final rinse and air dry(or iron dry) to get the fabric crisp. Definitely makes sewing linen, and any other wiggly fabric) easier to work with.
I just whip stitch the raw edges together with the fabric's own weft threads. With a knot on one end and a roundabout on the other. Super fast, plus, pulling the weft threads to sew it together with makes squaring the ends super easy and tells me a lot about the fabric itself. I actually use warp thread to sew with - it being the stronger of the two - but the weft thread can be exceptionally weak. Some - even of quite expensive fabrics - seeming to be spun of nothing but lint, which is absolutely infuriating but something I certainly need to know before I use a fabric. Easy enough to ascertain in person at a brick and mortar establishment but not online.
This is great information. I have seen so many people on utube who don't prewash. Another thing I've noticed is how they straighten their material. I have seen only one person do this correctly.
Amazing. These videos keep me company while I'm practicing my very beginner-level sewing skills and I am absorbing it all!
You have already saved me so many hassles with tips like 1. Fabric sheers not for paper, 2. Pre-wash fabric, 3. Iron as you sew,
4. Make a toile & 5. Needing different needles for different fabrics. Sew nice that these tips are already there when you need them :)
In the US we have sheets called color guard, I wash ALL colors together and it has worked for several years now… !
I have had difficulty with cheaper fabrics - they distort badly. So I also look forward to your next video to help me sort that out. Many thanks.
I'm looking forward to the video about how to fix distorted grain lines.
Hi Evelyn. My mom taught me to rinse a finished cross-stitch work in a diluted white vinegar solution, to set the color. That advice carries over to new clothing well. I noticed there is a RIT brand product for setting color, too, which I have not yet tried. So, preventing color run can be as simple as adding vinegar to the pre-wash step. Happy sewing :)
For knits fabric, I wash at least three times with regular load of laundry to check for pilling. I learned the hard way spending hours sewing up knits just for it to pill each time I washed. (Stay away from Jo-Ann's knit fabrics.)
Haven’t thought about overseeing the raw edges to stop it fraying, that’s a good idea, thanks. I got caught out once by not pre washing, and the garment shrank so much it was tooooooo small!
Pamela W--
Put a tag on your fabric with a pin. Just a W vs NW. I also put amount of yardage on tag. Saves much hair pulling :)))
Noobie question: what does this mean?
@@dailydedication2663 I'm sorry, it means washed vs not washed. Then I try to add how much yardage is there for later reference. Hope that's amore clear. Sometimes we just assume everyone knows... 😔
@@sandioney4761 Thanks for clarifying 🙂
My Mom used to do this with pins back in the 1960s-70s! - but in our humidity, the pins sometimes rusted, staining the fabric. So now I use a needle and very-contrasting thread to put a loop in the corner of any cut of fabric I’ve already washed. I always tie the knot of the thread-loop on the right side of the fabric: a side bonus for fabrics on which it’s hard to tell the right side instantly just by looking. No thread loop = not yet prewashed.
I actually wash my garment on the harshest setting someone else in my family (or me on a bad day) might subject it to. So fabrics I wouldn't tumble dry I still toss in the dryer. Fabrics I plan to wash on delicate gets tossed on whatever my mom or dad thinks is a normal wash.
I learned this when my dad washed my first skirt with a random load of clothes. It was never the same.
Someone washed my angora sweaters with my tie-dyed clothes, hot water, then hot dryer.
He was so proud, thinking he was helping me out.
@@parisattic Oh no
I crocheted a lace weight hat, my bf put it in the machine. The pattern is invisible now
@@parisattic very sad 😞
I'm going to wash some fabric tomorrow. I'm going to make my first project in the next few days. I'm going to make some short and short sleeve pajamas. They will be purple. I'm both happy and nervous to make my first project and I don't want to mess up when I know I will.
I always iron my new fabric after I have pre-washed it. Simply as it takes up less space if pressed before it goes in the cupboard, if I'm not using it straight away.
After 2 very busy sewing days, I get to watch you work with my heating pad on my shoulders and back. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead. Thank you for your talent, inspiration and posting this video!
Ive never thought to finish the edges! Good idea.
Not wanting to be wasteful, after machine washing I pull off the raveled threads and use them for stuffing puncushions, etc. Couldn't help feeling that women would've done this at a time when nothing was wasted.
Just wanted to leave a comment and let you know how incredibly helpful all of your videos have been to me over the last two years. I’ve been able to make historical dresses and costumes with the help of your videos and tips! Thank you so so much!
Thank you for all these tips! Side-note your dress is beautiful!
Love what you are wearing. You are such an inspiration to me. Hugs from Johannesburg south Africa
Thankyou! One of my makes from long ago!
I loved this video!!
I think much of what I learned about sewing when I was younger was from Vogue designer patterns that included the designers preferred method of construction. Often, that included hand-sewing.
I took apart many worn-out vintage garments to learn how they were put together. It just made so much sense. (Most of those very worn garments became vintage looking clothes for my hand made teddy bears. I also spent a great deal of time make new fabric look old. Go figure.)
I repurposed many beautiful, but very worn out coats from the 50s and 60s to make teddy bears. Along the way, I was amazed at how those coats were put together.
It was like going to a special school for vintage techniques. I loved what I learned.
I think that is why I enjoy watching your beautiful videos so much. I also love watching the learning materials of Vintage Sewing School. ❤
Such useful tips, thank you.
Thank you so much! I have some pretty cotton prints and this will get me started on getting them ready for my next project!
What an informative video. Thank you.
Good hanging to dry tips, look like shower curtains! I had a old fashion clothesline I used for many years, but half A tree fell on it in a storm, noe I have to replace it! BuT I found I was drying them the wrong way, I didn't know there was a wrong way!
Another great video. Thank you I needed all this information. 🙂👍
Thank you for those tips Evelyn.
Great tips! I’m so glad you address this and other basic and important topics. I try to avoid dry cleaning, so most of my thrifted clothing gets the home laundry treatment too.
Shelia that's so right! I have no need for dry cleaning either 😀
It wont wreck rayon? It will still have that lovely drape?
I found out the hard way that rayon shrinks when it's washed. Had a pretty little pink linen shift with a rayon lining. Didn't hv time to get it dry cleaned so washed it by hand. Looked great when it was finished, but found that the lining had shrunk. It wasn't a total disaster as the rayon lining just felt like a girdle.
A girdle, yikes! I’ve worked with a lot of rayon and find it always shrinks. Sometimes you can iron it back into reasonable shape, but a lot of the cheap stuff is only fit for cleaning windows. I have a rayon dress that went into the dryer a maxi but came out midi length. Oddly, the horizontal measurements didn’t change, but it’s a little higher waisted and shorter sleeved. Luckily I prefer the “new” fit - but I wouldn’t count on that happening again!
so ecited for next weeks video! all your information is so fundamental to good quality work thank you
Evelyn. Bite size info, as usual, sooo informative. Thank you! Lo x
Thanks that was great.
Hope all is well. Thx for another awesome vid Evelyn
I love your look. I love your information. I was thrilled to see you line dry. My dryer died 15 years ago and I decided to see if I could go without it. I could. If I’m selling something I made, I give the customer washing/drying instructions the same as what I did when I pre-washed. Thanks for a great video on a simple but important subject.
You are fabulous, Evelyn! I've watched a few of your videos now, and I really appreciate how well you explain everything. Your cheerful demeanor, and vintage aesthetic really drew me in. :-) Thank you for teaching me how to pre-wash my fabrics!
beautiful video! perfect timing, as i am ordering bulk order of fabric for my boutique orders and am researching how to prepare! 👏 👏 💕
Very useful information. Thank you!
Well here in the UK, especially in the winter. I pre-wash outside on the line, then bring in; having removed any twigs or branches, then tumble dry. A strong iron with a bit of spit and your ready to go. But to be serious thanks for all your tips and help in getting my skills to develop and giving me the confidence to try more trickier projects.
Thank you for sharing 🌸
💝✂️ I discovered a way to sew faster and easier even as a beginner, I talk more about it in my channel, I hope it helps those who need it. ❤️🌹🥰
Great tips, thankyou. Don't forget how clean and fresh the fabric smells after hanging in a nice, warm, sun kissed breeze. Was that a frog? 😮 I thought it might have been a neighbour's dog barking! 😄
He he, yes a frog!
Awesome sunning reasoning.
Thanks always.
Thank you this was useful.
Hello vicky, how are you?
Well you look absolutely fabulous! Great styling. And thanks for the detailed video. I'm self taught, so never thought of pinking or zagging the edges especially on larger yardage. Thanks!
This was so useful ...particularly the tip about finishing the edges BEFORE you wash ...( why didn’t I think of that lol) I just loved your “ putting out my washing outfit “ great ..!!!
Honestly wish I’d seen this before I’d got the canvas I bought washed..the fraying was interesting
Love your channel and a new subscriber. So helpful and a huge thank you. Cheers from BC Canada 🇨🇦
Yes please @EvelynWood a vid on garment care would be awesome :)
TH-cam served up this very useful video just in the nick of time. I am about to dye and make pants out of a huge piece of heavy denim fabric. This addressed so many of my questions, thank you. Now I guess I better go make sure I subscribed.❤️
Thank you!!!
Finishing the edges before prewashing is brilliant!
I often go through the added trouble of starching. It makes using the fabric so much easier.
I try to watch in huge batches so that way when I go to use the fabric it's already washed. I no longer have the luxury of a washer and dryer in my house so I try to wash as much fabric in one fell swoop even though it gets tangled and wrinkly lol
There are preservatives in the fabric that I don't want to wash out to soon (if I am going to store the fabric). I prewash just before I begin making my project. If the preservatives are left in the fabrics, they can make me sick when I cut and sew the fabrics (I will be breathing the dust).
Ohhhhhh that's why my eyes have been burning so bad, the unwashed fleece fuzz chemical combo. I was too eager to make it than prewash hahah oh thank you
I would very much love a video on garment care, especially vintage garments. I have some vintage pieces that I've either inherited or bought and I want to make sure that I preserve them the best I can.
Great tip, I hate prewash but I do it faithfully
thanks for tips on how to pre-wash. Even though I have sewn for years, I learned new tricks. Especially about finishing the edges beforehand. I had some $22/yd (US) stretch wool that I dry cleaned, but then goofed and washed it. I know I can still use it. It also has moth holes as I was living in Alaska where there are no moths and moved to a moth area, but I know I can sew that after practicing on less expensive fabric first. I enjoy your channel very much. It is good inspiration to get back in practice.
So helpful. I love the detail you go into to cover those topics that us beginners wonder about, that no one else seems to think needs addressing!
Not just for newbies! I've been sewing my own clothes for 40+years and I learn new stuff all the time from Evelyn!