Whenever I make something with cotton I always run it through my washing machine to pre-treat. I do this even if I plan to rarely clean the costume or take it to the dry cleaners. And most of the time I will throw the newly purchased fabric into the washer as soon as I get home from the store.
But what happens when I come home with 12 yards of blue floral calico? How in the world does that get washed without becoming a ugly tangled mess?
Here are 6 tips I use every time I put fabric into a washing machine. They don’t eliminate all the headaches in dealing with yards & yards of fabric, but they help keep my frustration level down.
Use these tips when washing cottons and linens.
1. Serge or zigzag the raw edges first. There always seems to be that mess of tangled threads that come off the end of the fabric and wrap themselves around everything in that washer load. Help prevent this textile web by finishing the raw edges before you throw it in the washer. You can also pink the edges but a serged or zigzag finish will be best.
2. Unfold the entire length of fabric and place gently into the machine. Don’t cram it all in there – keep it soft and puffy. Of course it’ll get squished as the water comes in but only concern yourself with how it goes in.
3. Don’t overload the washer! – even if you have 4 fabrics to wash. Keep enough room in the machine for the fabric to swim.
4. If drying the fabric in the clothes dryer: as you take it out of the washer, unfold and fluff it again before putting it into the dryer. You want the piece to be as untwisted and smooth as you can get it.
5. Dry on low – yes – and every 10 or so minutes go in and untwist the fabric. This will allow the fabric to dry faster and you won’t get those horrible creases that are so hard to press out.
6. One more trick would be to take the fabric out of the dryer just before it’s completely dry and press with a hot steam iron. The dampness still in the fabric makes it so much easier on the arm when trying to press the fabric paper smooth.
Do you have other tricks you use when machine washing your fabric? Share them below!
Very helpful. Thank you.
I have, depending on the effect I ultimately want, pre-washed silk. This prevents water spots later on, as the silk is now effectively one large, uniform water spot.
I have a new fangled drier with a bulk setting that stops and beeps for fluffing. It also has a damp dry setting for easier pressing. I didn’t buy it thinking of fabric in mind, but if you should ever NEED a new drier look for those options, they are very helpful. Also, mine has a ‘rapid refresh’ which is good for tossing in fabric or garments to take out wrinkles and etc. It works well on silk and wool garments if you don’t want to go to the dry cleaner’s.
Thanks for this timely entry 🙂 I’m going out to buy cotton fabric today. How did you know???
In the case of the new High Efficiency washers out there, best to watch that the fabric does not bunch up too much. I have to use the coin laundry mats….*cries*
I’ve found that getting it out of the dryer while still warm, and especially ironing it right away, makes whatever wrinkles I get easier to remove, even if I’m going to fold the fabric into a drawer for months.
Do you ever wash silk?
Personally no. I’ve found it changes the characteristics, usually more soft and sometimes with a crinkled look set into the fibers.
Wonderful tips!!! Thank you!!!
I throw in a couple of white rags (actually old white cloth diapers) with new fabric to see if the color is going to run.
I don’t have any tricks but I do have a question lol. I have 10 yards of cream on cream plaid window pane fabric and it is 80% cotton and 20% silk. All my other cotton fabric I have washed and dried in the dryer, but with the 20% silk I’m not sure how to shrink and take care of the sizing. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Shelley
Sounds like beautiful fabric! It’s always a good rule of thumb to pre-treat a length of fabric in the same manner you’ll wash the finished garment. Being that it’s mostly cotton, you’ll definitely want to pre-wash. I’d do a test wash on a swatch to see how the silk reacts to the washing. A good, hot steam press would be wise, but not sure it’ll shrink the cotton enough (need water for this). Otherwise, you can always take it to the dry cleaner.
Thanks so much!
When I have yardage to wash this is my procedure:
Unfold completely.
Holding one selvedge I fan-fold the entire length so I have about half to three quarter yard length at the selvedges.
Either pin, with non-rust safety pins, or baste the selvedges together as folded.
Note, this does not have to be real precise.
Place in washer and wash as desired.
After cycle, or two, remove, shake out holding one selvedge edge. And put in dryer.
Dry as desired.
Should end up with with no ropey mess. Then just remove the pins or basting and press.
BTW, the white vinegar or salt to set dye works for old fashioned dyes, but not modern dyes. Better is Synthropol to help remove excess dye or Retayne to set dyes. Both are available at many local quilt shops. use as directed.
I love the tube idea! Will try that soon!
However… just so you know… vinegar does not set fabric dye, unless you are using an acid dye in a hot dye bath. Vinegar to set dye is an old myth.
I always toss in that cup of white vinegar to set the fabric dye color, and prevent to color from running. 12 yds may call for an additional cup of vinegar.
I wash on the hottest temp with just a small amount of soap. (twice) Love your suggestion about the drier. That will save me time ironing. Thanks!
Love your site, Jennifer!
When I’m pre-washing fabric, I often put it into a mesh laundry bag to prevent the usual tangle-fest in the washer. Of course, that doesn’t work for really humongous pieces of fabric. For those, I’m going to try the giant tube trick — thanks, Aurora Celeste!
I didn’t know that trick. I’ll have to try it. Thanks!
Yup! the tube method is great if you have a long length you want to wash. And if you have a bit of a crummy edge, you can just cut it away when done washing.
If you serge/sew the two raw ends together (so the fabric is a huge, short tube) it will twist a lot less. I dunno why, but I know it’s worked for me.