Fabric Care Guide
Have you ever made a garment from a fabric that was never washed, only to find out that after washing the finished garment it doesn't fit? Yup, it's happened to the best of us! It's important to properly care for your handmade garments. You've just spend hours laboring over it, so why not take good care of it? We put together a fabric care instruction guide that will help you create garments that will last.
PRE-WASH or PRE-TREAT all fabric yardage before use. All fabric, whether it's washable or dry cleanable, will change in some way. It's also important to think about the fabric weave/structure. Washing a sheer or delicate fabric will be different than washing a sturdy woven.
Cotton Fabrics: Cotton tends to shrink a lot so it could require multiple washings to shrink and/or make even softer. The higher the water temperature and dryer setting, the more shrinkage that can happen. Keep this in mind as you read through below.
- Cotton sheer fabrics (such as voile, batiste) should be gentle wash/hang to dry OR hand wash. To reduce wrinkles, place in the dryer for a few minutes after letting it hang to dry. You can also iron them on the cotton setting, with steam, to press out the wrinkles. To reduce fraying, we recommend serging the raw edge before putting in the wash.
- Cotton shirting fabrics should be washed on machine wash warm/tumble dry and remove promptly from the dryer. They also may need a pressing on the cotton setting with steam. If the cotton is blended with polyester, tumble dry on low and remove promptly from the dryer.
- Bottomweight cotton fabrics such as twill, denim and flannel may all need multiple washings. Denim can be heavy and also tends to bleed so washing multiple times can be very helpful. Use machine wash warm and tumble dry on normal setting. Press with hot iron on the cotton setting and steam to reduce wrinkle.
- Cotton knit fabric should be washed on a machine wash/tumble dry normal heat when washing the yardage. Once a garment is made, use machine wash warm/tumble dry low to reduce wear on the fabric. (Some cotton knits can fade over time.)
Linen Fabric Care: When using linen, think about how you would like the garment to look. If you like a crisp and tailored look, hand wash or dry clean is the best option. (Just be sure to ALWAYS treat the garment this way.) If you want a washed and casual look, wash on a gentle cycle and tumble dry on normal heat. (It will shrink a lot so buy an extra 1/2 yard for the "just in case.") Your dryer lint catcher will be overfilled with lint, so you might even want to check it half way through the drying time. Linen wrinkles a lot so press with a hot iron on the linen setting and use steam.
Polyester Fabric Care: Polyester is a synthetic fiber that is relatively easy to care for. It is strong, durable and almost always machine washable. Tumble dry on low. Polyester does not need a lot of heat. A low iron setting is important to reduce shiny areas, especially on seams. Acrylic is similar to polyester, so using the same washing methods is recommended.
- If working with a sheer or blouseweight polyester, choose a gentle cycle and hang to dry or hand wash. Delicate fabrics need more care to reduce snags in the fabric.
- If working with a polyester brocade or satin-type fabric, we recommend dry cleaning to eliminate any snags or unnecessary wear on the fabric.
Rayon/Modal/Tencel/Lyocell Fabric Care: All of these fabric contents are man-made natural fibers, made from cellulose. Whether working with these contents in knit or woven form, it's important to pre-treat your fabric because they shrink a lot! Gentle wash cold and tumble dry low or lay flat to dry is recommended. Sometimes these fabrics fade over time, so the less friction the better your garment will look over time. Hand wash or dry clean are also good options, especially for delicate fabrics. When ironing, press with a low/medium setting. You could run the risk of getting shiny spots, especially on seams.
Nylon Fabric Care: Nylon fabric is durable but should still be washed with care. Whether washing nylon knits or wovens, use a gentle cold cycle and hang to dry. If pressing is needed, use a low setting.
Silk Fabric Care: Silk is a delicate fiber and extra care should be taken. We normally suggest dry clean or hand wash only.
- Some people like to wash silk, but only do so BEFORE cutting out your garment. If you pre-wash silk yardage, you can continue to wash the garment. If you don't wash the silk first, you will need to dry clean or hand wash. If washing, use a cold gentle cycle and hang to dry. I would not recommend washing silk charmeuse. The satin-face finish is delicate and may look worn. Press using a silk/wool setting.
Acetate Fabric Care: Acetate is a synthetic fiber with a shiny, silky appearance. It should be dry cleaned only. If using an acetate lining in a garment, the entire garment should be dry cleaned. A low iron can be used for pressing.
Wool Fabric Care: Wool fabric should almost always be dry cleaned. If you do wash it, it could continue to shrink after each wash. Boiled wool can be washed before cutting something out, but it will shrink significantly. Wool knits can be hand washed with minimal agitation, then lay flat to dry. Use a silk/wool setting but take care at seams to reduce any shiny areas.
Spandex/Lycra/Elastane Care: All of these contents all fabric to stretch and recover. They can be found in knits and wovens. Gentle wash cold and tumble dry low/lay flat to dry are recommended to keep the elasticity at it's prime.
Water Repellent Fabric Care: Water repellent fabrics are usually durable but need special care. Use detergent especially for water repellent jackets. Regular detergents may breakdown the water repellent finish.
What about blends? When choosing a blended fabrics, we always go with the content that could be most susceptible to shrinking. For example, if a fabric is Polyester/Rayon/Wool/Lycra, we recommend dry cleaning because of the wool first, the rayon second. Both tend to shrink so dry clean is the best option.
How do I care for knit fabrics? When caring for knits, first determine the content. In most cases you can go by the content to figure out how to care for it. Because many knits have spandex, you may want to consider using a gentle cycle and tumble dry low to keep the elasticity at it's prime.
Use your best judgement. If you're unsure about how a fabric will come out, test a square or strip.
Need help determining the content of a fabric? Check out our Fabric Burn Test Information