I Needed That, The Little Break That Is!

 

 September is one of my favorite months. The time of year when I study nature for change. I enjoy the slightly fresh and cooler breezes as well as look forward to the holidays ahead. (photo is from a few years ago)

Today on the blog I have opted to skip the monthly opinion/editorial. It would violate my own standards. Instead I have sent along some really pertinent information from a trusted source. 

Do you know Claire Kennedy? I have referred to her expertise during the Mt. Everest Project a few years ago but not often since then. If you are not a garment sewest, she and her amazing skills are not likely in your genre of sewing research. She sends a weekly newsletter to followers and there was some very interesting information that you may appreciate this week. It is all about clothing care, cleaning, storage, as well as products she uses. All readily available, sensible, easy to use. So, lets go. 

She has a blog with lots of articles related to fashion sewing, she has a Facebook page with additional information as well as a sewing system that teaches you to sew and develop your own style. 

 I readily admit that I wash my clothes beyond their best. This Summer is a perfect example of dark colors faded, printed jerseys pilled and out of shape as well as white fabrics thinning to the point of sheer. What's a girl to do? Here are some wise words from Claire, I copied and pasted the words directly from my newsletter. I hope you find something that interests you. Her Website HERE.
September 3, 2021

So you have made something wonderful from your core pattern or for something else, and it's turning out great.  It's so great that you've worn it every day for the last 4 days.  Yes, I've done that too, but I went different places each day so didn't feel badly about it.

That happens a lot when you have something you've finished that really works  really well.  It's such a wonderful high to do that, but now, suddenly there's a mark on it, or you were out walking the dog and it got really hot and you've sweated in your new outfit, or it's just plain dirty.  How are you going to take care of this so that it returns back to it's natural wonderfulness?

The first thing to remember here is that washing and especially dry cleaning are the worst things you can do for you clothing.  In case you didn't know, the dry cleaners puts your garment in a solution, that isn't always fresh and often has been used to clean other items.  That goes into a huge tub where it's jostled around and then goes into a drying sequence depending upon what solution the dry cleaner has used.  If it's naphtha based, then it may be allowed to dry in the air (actually the cleaning solution evaporates from the clothing.  If it's closer to a detergent solution, then it will need to have some help from a dryer to dry.  Both of these processes shake, rattle and roll the fabric, the construction and the overall shape and the way the garment fits all affected by this cleaning process. 

As well, washing at home is a lot gentler, but it isn't all roses when you launder in the machine and dryer.  This too jostles around the clothing and can cause it to stretch and give and stretch the fabrics and all parts of the garment. 

In RTW, this is the biggest reason clothes don't last.  The lasting factor of RTW is usually gauged in how many washings the garment can withstand.  That figure usually runs around 2 to 5 washings and the garment is enough warped or destroyed that it's no longer wearable. 

What to do if all cleaning messes up clothing?

Your me-made garment may still be wearable but it will change a lot in washing or professionally dry cleaning.

How to Wear Your Great Garments?
So the first thing to is to realize that no cleaning is so much better for your clothing.  I know, clothing gets dirty, but let's be honest, even if you wear it for the first 4 days every day, there are things you can do to keep your garment freshened.

 
  • Hang your garment every night - this prevents wrinkles and other problems from deepening in your garment.  And for your ponte pants, hanging them overnight returns them to their original shape because ponte does have knee-spring and fanny-spring, but hanging them will draw this out and return them to their original shape.  Your tops and other garments will also return to the same shape before you wore them.  This also helps your clothes air out and a lot of odors that might be lingering in your garments so the odors will be removed by being aired out.  
  • For spots - Stuff happens, it's life, so the best thing you can do is treat any spots as soon as they happen.  This works for blood, enzymes and about anything except permanent dyes and some berries that have a very strong tannin which is like a permanent dye.  But you can remove even those with soaking right after the "oops" is made, soak in water and use a very strong detergent (Tide is my favorite).  Let it soak for a couple of hours.  You can also use Chlorine bleach or Oxygen bleach for colors and let that soak for a couple of hours.  Soaking is one of the mystery cleaning methods here that can really do wonders.  The key here is to get the spot as soon as you found it. 

For general dirty garment - This is something that has all over dirt like on sleeves or hem or something like that.  If it's delicate or it has a really delicate construction, soaking can be a huge problem-solver here.  One of my favorite things to use for human oil on fabric is 1 part Dawn, 4 parts baking soda and mix into a thick muck, then apply on the affected area(s) and allow it to soak for 4 or 5 hours or overnight.  This is great on human oily marks.  For naphtha type stains Fels Naphtha bar is great.  Rub the area with the Naphtha bar and let it soak.  Of course if your garment is white, Chlorine bleach is excellent.  Not quite as good, but for colors Oxygen bleach is your solution.  Soaking the whole garment, even if it's delicate or delicately assembled (lots of hand stitching that you want to preserve), is one of the best ways to clean the whole garment.  This is something I use on my heirloom gowns when they are really dirty, and it works every time. 

There's Always a Caveat:
Be careful with the Chlorine bleach.  It's really a wonder on white and that IS why I have white sheets - so easy to clean.  But keep the bleach away from the silk.  As a matter of fact this is a fail-proof test for silk content:  put the silk in Chlorine bleach and let stand for a few hours.  If it's gone, it's silk.  If part of it's gone, it was part silk.  If it's still there it's either acetate or rayon.  The bleach will disintegrate the silk, so no bleach on silk. 

More on Silk:
Silk also does not take dye well.  That means those darker colored silks are "over-dyed" and that means every time you wash silk (and silk is almost always beautifully washable), it will bleed.  So no dark red silk with the white undies, unless you want pink undies.  I also like using Synthropol with silk as it suspends the dye in the water so that it doesn't re-dye and streak the washed silk.  And you do have to press the silk when you finished, unless you want that soft washed look. 


If you do decide you need to go to a professional cleaners, ask them the process they use to clean your garment.  You may not understand it, but you will know if they are sincere, genuine and that belies their honesty.  If they don't know what they are talking about, that's a clear signal that there's not too much care in the garments.  If they explain anything to you and answer your dumb questions without making you feel dumb, you've found a gem.  Ask them if they use "clean" solution (something that hasn't been used over and over).  Ask them if they can clean your delicate garment, and if they can't, tell them you want them to be honest with you.  This is the drop-dead question cause if they say no they can't, keep them in mind for something simpler, and go on. 


My Secret Weapons:
My two biggest secret weapons on cleaning my beautiful garments are soaking and the Dawn/Baking soda mixture.  These work beautifully on almost anything.  If you can hang to dry that's even better, even if it's still a little drippy after the wash cause you don't want to wring the garment, that's OK too.  Isn't that what a shower was invented for?!!!!  But it is the perfect place to hang a dripping garment till it dries without wringing it dry.
from SewingArtistry
  • I need to take this advice to heart.
  • I am editing my closet as we speak. One bag is for tossers, things I need to never wear again.
  • Another bin is for items that are still in good condition, not my favorites, I will consider them for a while before donation.
  • The others will be hung or folded in categories for the cooler weather ahead.
  • Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend. Summer is officially over though not officially. In my mind this is it, the white jeans go away for the Winter. (I still cannot wrap my head around wearing whites after Labor Day. Vestiges of my thinking.  

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