Tips on Washing Upholstery Fabric Before Any Repairs
Ever wondered why you could purchase a new garment, put it on once, clean it once then the next time you wear it, it feels like two sizes smaller! The main reason behind that could be improper pre-shrinking or prewashing. Most garment producers often skip the step of pre-shrinking in the process of construction and that should not be the case for you. Here are some great tips to guide you to a pre-shrinking fabric.
It is important to wash your upholstery fabrics immediately you get them from the store or before any sewing commences. However, if you do not have the intentions to use the fabric soon, label it with all relevant data before storing.
Normally, the fabric is chopped on two edges depending on its category and when pre-washed, there could be a varying degree of tattering. Therefore, if you want to reduce the rate of wearing out, you can use an overcast or zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to overcast the ends before washing. You can also use pinking shears to cut the ends.
Whenever you are pre-washing knits, moisten the two cut ends together to create a tube. This, in turn, makes the fabric easier to work with as it shields the knit from getting curled.