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Monday, April 25, 2011

Ugh...pre-washing fabric

Today's lesson is on prep work. Now I'm going to be honest...this is not a "rule" I always follow but I am REALLY trying to be better about it. I know it's a total pain, but you really should wash your fabric before sewing! I know, I know...I can hear you protesting (I'm protesting too!!!), but it's really the "right" thing to do. My new rule is that when I bring fabric home it goes straight to the wash so that when inspiration strikes it's ready.

When you come home from the fabric store you are given this beautiful stack of crisp new fabric that looks like this:
It's so pretty...so stiff...so easy to work with....BUT...still it's a great idea to pre-wash your fabric. Now for a moment of truth...do I ALWAYS wash before sewing? No, but I've had way to many outfits for the girls no longer fit because the fabric shrank in the wash.

So...after a spin in the washer and dryer you get a lovely ball of fabric like this:
And the ends will be all frayed like this:
If the strings are tangled or just bother you it's okay to trim them, but not really necessary.

So what do you do next?

This:
I know...I hear more protesting...like what any of us really wants to do is more laundry and ironing, but in the end it's totally worth it! Just park your iron in front of the TV and watch your "stories" and in no time you'll be done.

And when you're done you get a beautiful pile of fabric that closely resembles your first stack.
Pretty, crisp and ready for the next project!

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