Pre-washing linen fabric
Pre-washing linen fabric
| What is pre-washing?
Pre-washing is a pre-treatment process performed on washable materials before tailoring to prevent distortion and shrinkage. It is a process of preparing the fabric by soaking it in water. |
We've made a video on how to pre-wash linen fabric.
① Fill a large container with plenty of water and soak the fabric by itself.
To allow the water to penetrate all the way through, open the fabric and soak it again. Repeat this until the entire fabric is submerged.
Even if the surface of the fabric is wet, the water may not have reached the inside, so open it thoroughly and soak it.
② Once the entire fabric is thoroughly wet, it is sufficient. Make sure there are no dry spots.
③ Once the entire fabric is wet, remove excess water.
Do not wring it out like a dishcloth; instead, press it with your hands to remove excess water.
④ Once excess water is removed, pre-washing is complete.
After this, spread the fabric flat and hang it to dry in the shade.
When it is semi-dry, straighten the grain and finish with an iron.
〈Advice for pre-washing〉
Soaking multiple fabrics at once can cause unnecessary wrinkles and color transfer, so pre-wash each fabric individually.
When soaking fabric, it tends to repel water at first.
When soaking fabric, if the water does not penetrate all the way through, it can cause uneven coloring or water stains, so check that the water has penetrated between the fabric layers.
Using detergent may cause uneven coloring or unexpected color fading.
If using a bathtub or washing machine, residual bleach or fluorescent agents can cause discoloration of the fabric.
Kijinomori fabrics are specifically made for apparel.
Apparel fabrics are in a state that can be cut directly at the sewing factory, so you can use them for cutting as is.
However, natural materials such as cotton and linen tend to shrink when washed with water, which may cause distortion in some fabrics.
Therefore, for handmade items, one method is to pre-wash the fabric to shrink it to some extent before cutting.
However, dense, stiff fabrics that are tightly woven can sometimes get extra wrinkles that are difficult to smooth out with an iron, so it is best to decide whether or not to pre-wash on a case-by-case basis.
Above is a summary of pre-washing linen fabric. We hope this serves as a helpful reference.