The really nice silk I saw and fell in love with was probably at $2.35 a yard – drapes beautifully. And it’s that that I’ll probably end up getting, or something like it. There were enough fabrics there that I liked that I wasn’t worried about them not having something I liked the next time I was there.
What I don’t know yet – and I don’t know if they’ll know – and forgot to ask was if the silk is machine washable or hand washable. I haven’t had enough silks before to know enough about how they behave when washing except that most silks in Canada were labelled as dry-clean only, and I’m allergic to dry clean.
Yeah, I’ve been going on and on and on about that store in my head. Not out loud – don’t want to drive everyone around here crazier than I already do.
Yeah, I’m in love with that store. [Big Grin]
That particular silk fabric was a turquoise and royal blue boxy pattern – abstract. I don’t know what kind, but it had a fairly tight weave. Yes, I always wash fabric before I sew. Here, it’s even more important. My sheets shrunk close to 12 inches the first time I washed them – and that was a cold water wash (the only kind we have here). *sigh* Evidently, preshrinking is not the norm here.
Back to silks. Is it possible to hand wash all silks, including ones that indicate dry clean only? I’m allergic to the dry cleaning chemicals – wicked fumes!
Someone asked me:
"Are bolts not labeled with care instructions there?"
My response?
*howls with laughter* [ROFL]
Um, no. They’re not even labelled as to the fibre content. Luckily, though, I have an excellent feel for fabric, as does my sister, my mother, and every other female adult I’m related to by sheer volume of experience.
I’ve been doing a fair bit of research on silk since my last post, and it appears that silks are washable provided you prewash. It’s because silk shrinks 10% or more that it becomes dry clean only – garment manufacturers don’t want to go to the bother and/or lose that much fabric in shrinkage which would naturally result in decreased profits. That, and if the silk is lined, when you wash it, the lining and the outer part of the garment will no longer fit each other.
The silks I saw in that store all had very tight, even, and consistent weaves, so I’m starting to become a lot less worried.
