I've debated for a long time whether or not to write this post. I know it's against the grain and can potentially upset a few people. But, when I started Fresh Press Patterns, I promised myself I'd share all that I know of the fashion industry and it's production process with any home sewing creative that wished to read my story.
And, guess what? There is no pre-washing of fabrics in the fashion industry. Zero, none, nada. Allow me to explain....
My very first job in the fashion industry was Quality Assurance. One of my "glamorous" job tasks was to test fabrics. During the design process of the new collection, as the pattern makers were developing patterns from the designer sketches, my job was to test the new fabrics of the season for shrinkage, piling and crocking (dye coming off the fabric with rubbing/friction).
I would cut 1mx1m squares, sew a 50cmx50cm crosshairs in the centre of the fabric, march to the other end of the building where all the pressing took place and subjected my sample to some impressive heat. Then, I'd let my samples rest before I took measurements of the crosshairs and calculated the percentage of shrinkage for width and length. This information was passed onto the pattern makers who would them increase the pattern width or length to accommodate the shrinkage. For example, if a particular fabric shrunk 4% in length, they added 4% to the hem of the garment.
Yes, I know what you're think, "I don't want to do these calculations and make adjustments on my home patterns Joanna!" And I hear you!
Lets talk about shrinkage then. Keep in mind, I am speaking from my personal experience and observation and not scientific data.
From what I've learned over the years is that shrinkage, or rather over stretching of the fabric (sounds counter intuitive, doesn't it?), for the most part, is caused by human handling. It occurs when the fabric is moved off production and is rolled onto bolts for transportation. Some of these bolts can have upwards of 50 meters of fabric on them. Sometimes more. If the fabric is rolled too tightly onto the bolt, the second that fabric receives heat and steam, it will "relax" back to it's original form...and that's what we call shrinkage.
Some of the worst shrinkage occurs in fabrics that already have stretch in them. They're trickier to handle thus more likely to be over stretched.
So how do you get rid of shrinkage without pre-washing the fabric or adjusting the patterns?
Crank up the heat! That's right...all you need is your iron. I like to crank the heat on mine, turn on the steam (but not too much steam) and lay my fabric out, single layer, on the pressing board. Then, hovering the iron oh so close to the fabric, I let the steam and the heat do its' thing. If it's a natural fibre, I lightly glide the iron over the fabric. It I'm working with a synthetic, I hover very closely to the fabric but try not to touch it as the high heat can melt the fabric. And voila! Once you've worked your way through the entire piece, let the fabric rest/cool on a flat surface and you're ready to cut!
I hope you try it and if you do I'd like to hear about it. I promise you, it will free up your time and get you sewing faster. And after all, isn't that the ultimate goal?
Happy sewing!