Regarding my Last Post about Stretch Fabrics... Okay, so, why does it work? Think about the process of manufacturing fabrics. Yarns are woven together in various ways - warp/weft, twill, etc. Into these weaves are introduced Lycra yarns. During the process of weaving, the fabric is under a fair-to-large amount of pressure (think of being stretched along a rack, with needles pulling you horizontally and pulleys yanking you in the length). The fabric is stretched before, and as, it is rolled along the bolt. It can relax somewhat once it's on the bolt and in storage, but it is still under pressure from the weight of itself as it sits on the bolt. So by unrolling it and letting it sit for 24 hours, the Lycra fibers are allowed to pull back to their original length, like a rubber band that has been stretched and recovers. Yes, it will still stretch with body heat. That's one of stretch fabric's selling points. But it won't stretch as much. So it is definitely worth doing when you are prepping your fabric. Letting it sit and then folding it up won't cause any additional stretching.
I know, someone is going to say, "well, isn't that what prewashing is for?" Nope. Let it sit first, then "prewash". It's what RTW manufacturers do. No, actually, they don't prewash. They get "prewashed" fabrics from their suppliers and let them sit for 24 hours before they cut.
Does that make sense?
1 day ago
12 comments:
I'll try it next time I use a strtch woven and see. I have some stretch denim I bought from you that will be a perfect experiment.
A total "Aaaaaah" moment. I think I would just do this as a matter of course cause your explanation makes so much sense. It would be scary not to let it "rest".
What if you prewashed first? Still let it breathe?
Um, no, actually it doesn't make sense. 'Cause if you let it set to relax then it seems that the full amount of stretch potential is back in the fabric. It seems like it would grow even more.
But, materials engineering is not my forte.
I am going to try it. It certainly won't hurt!
Well Aurelia I will try to find an explanation for you. What I can tell you is that both Emmett and Igor said it's a well known fact in the garment industry (Emmett's words, not mine). I'm just trying to be helpful and pass it along. Like Nancy says, it couldn't hurt.
This is an interesting tip. Adds to the time it takes to do a stretch garment but probably worth it. Does this apply to knits or just to stretch denim and such? For knits this step and hanging it for 24 hours before hemming adds time to the project. Can't be in a hurry for the outfit.
Linda, when I spoke with Emmett and Igor, we were only talking about stretch wovens. I didn't ask about knits, so I can't give a definite answer to that.
Well, that's a far better explanation that I came up with, that included 'off-gassing of petroleum-based stretch'.
So why do some RTW clothes continue to stretch all day? Because they skipped this step? And is there anything you can do to stop it if the clothes are finished?
Allowing the fabric to rest 24 hours is such a big deal in factories, our plants are completely organized around it (don't miss the comments).
Look at it this way. If manufacturers are such cheapskates (and they are) and they're doing it this way and it costs more to do it like this (and it does), there must be a good reason for it.
Note: it's recommended that you allow certain knits to rest 48 hours.
Thank you Kathleen! I was hoping you would chime in about this one.
Post a Comment