Repair & Care of old and other delicate fabrics

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Where is the bone that popping out, Bella? Did you reseat the boning before the repair?

LD

It's the underwire that's popping out, it's curved, naturally. I'll have to push it back in, put some of that rubber stuff on, and have it sewn. If I sew it myself it'll never hold.

 

[Foofoogal]

Sewing?

I have no idea why I did it but basically I washed a linen dress by accident. It was completely satin lined. This made the lining bigger than the dress. For all you sewing experts is there a way to fix this. If I took it to the cleaners would it go back to normal if they dry clean it again?
If not I would think one could just resew it after cutting off excess but would that then make it pull dress up when cleaned again. lol
I guess I could just rip out the lining but I don't want to. thanks for any info.

 

[Snookie]

Foofoogal, are you saying the lining stretched in the wash? Usually it goes the other way, where the smaller part (fashion fabric) shrank more than the bigger side (the lining). Have you tried pressing the linen with steam while stretching gently?

I'd probably take it to the cleaners, see where it's at after that, then make a decision about the lining. But I send everything questionable to the cleaners, I know not everyone is willing/able to do that.

 

[Foofoogal]

The lining now hangs about 2 inches longer than the fabric. I will try to do both of what you said. Thanks.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

i've got the opposite problem - i hand-washed a lined, wool double-knit skirt and apparently i didn't have it flat enough when it dried - because it grew and is bunchy at the side seams, since the lining is fully attached there. what should be my next move, oh wise ones??

 

[MissS]

Ladies, have any of you successfully repaired a hole in silk velvet?

I have a gorgeous 1930's bias cut silk velvet dress that has a few little holes at the small of the back, just under the very low back of the dress.

I was worried that if I pulled the edges of the holes together and darned it, it would leave little folds in the fabric.

Any words of advice?

 

[epr25]

I have a set of Bakelite cherries, a necklace and a brooch that I used the green version to reinforce the strings that cherries dangle from. It worked well. You just have to move fast the stuff that I had set up quickly. But well worth a shot if anyone else has some vintage jewelry that might need some help.

Try giving this stuff a shot:

People who are into making corsets use it to cover the tips of the boning so that it won't pierce through the fabric.

Borrowed from www.corsetmaking.com:
Bone Tipping Fluid
Rubber coating for tipping the ends of cut busks, white bones, or tipped spiral bones. Won't crack, chip or become brittle. Resists water, dry cleaning chemicals, impact, and abrasion. Invaluable to have around the workroom for the inevitable piece of boning or busk that needs to be cut to size.

I suggest tipping your underwire before stitching it back into your bra.

 

[Cherry_Bombb]

I have no idea why I did it but basically I washed a linen dress by accident. It was completely satin lined. This made the lining bigger than the dress. For all you sewing experts is there a way to fix this. If I took it to the cleaners would it go back to normal if they dry clean it again?
If not I would think one could just resew it after cutting off excess but would that then make it pull dress up when cleaned again. lol
I guess I could just rip out the lining but I don't want to. thanks for any info.

Your linen shrunk. No good.
At least you know now that you have a synthetic lining! lol- trying to look on the positive side!

It won't go back to the regular size no matter what. Unfortunate, I know but there is a plus side IF the dress still fits. Linings are supposed to be slightly larger than the cut of the dress, so you are at an advantage here. All you may need to do is re-hem the dress. If you can sew, take a stab at it. Your shell should be about 1/2"- 1" longer than the lining. Or take it to a tailor/ dressmaker- they should be able to help you w/ no problem!

 

[Cherry_Bombb]

i've got the opposite problem - i hand-washed a lined, wool double-knit skirt and apparently i didn't have it flat enough when it dried - because it grew and is bunchy at the side seams, since the lining is fully attached there. what should be my next move, oh wise ones??

I would first release the lining from the side seam by letting out that stitching. Sew the shell back together, then the lining separately. Then press. You may or may not need to re-hem the skirt, but it should be just fine even w/ a slightly shorter lining.

 

[Cherry_Bombb]

Ladies, have any of you successfully repaired a hole in silk velvet?

I have a gorgeous 1930's bias cut silk velvet dress that has a few little holes at the small of the back, just under the very low back of the dress.

I was worried that if I pulled the edges of the holes together and darned it, it would leave little folds in the fabric.

Any words of advice?

How big is the hole? You should be able to darn it just fine. It may have a tiny pucker, but nothing horrible. When you go to press it, make sure that you DON'T LAY IT FLAT. It will permanently crease your velvet. Hang it on a hanger and steam it from the inside out.

 

[MissS]

Thanks, Cherry_Bombb - I'll give it a try. The hole is about 1.5cm wide, so I'll darn, then see if I can steam the velvet pile to fluff up around it.

 

[Cherry_Bombb]

New tips for old stains:

1. New Blood stains-

If it's a new spot of blood (as in you just bled on your garment) a little spit or cold water will take it right out. Even out of silk. Heat up your iron on a medium/ hot setting w/ plenty of steam (usually a #5 or #6 will do the trick for natural fibers and a #3 or #4 for synthetic fabrics). Dab your spot w/ a damp cloth (hence the cold water or spit- I know, ew but it works) and IMMEDIATELY press and steam the heck out of the spot to dry it. The steam prevents fabrics such as silk from spotting. Repeat process until blood is removed.

2. Old Blood stains-

If you come across a vintage garment that appears to have a blood spot on it (it will be darker than a rust stain, and rust colored in sort of a splatter usually- beverages have a tendancy to be a large blot and rust is usually a smear)- get out your Hydrogen Peroxide. This only works on light colored fabrics- white or off white and sometimes yellow. Now realize, your garment may have yellowed with time, so the best idea is to soak the whole garment in Woolite overnight (see my previous posts for the recipe!). This will help to get some of the yellow out. Once the garment is dry, test a small area of the garment to see if the Hydrogen Peroxide will lift color. Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't- there is no guarantee, it's garment to garment. Grab a Q-tip and dip it in your Peroxide- do a small rub on a hidden area of your garment and steam right away. If it didn't lift color, go ahead and rub a little on the blood stain with the Q-tip. Steam immediately as before. Repeat process until blood is removed.

3. Make-up stains

Have you ever taken off that nice white blouse only to realize that your foundation came off on it? Grab a good terry cloth towel and go to town! Foundation makeup is greasy/ oily and loves the absorbant terry cloth more than it loves the tight weave of your clothing. Going w/ and against the grain of the fabric, BUFF the heck out of your garment w/ the thick side of the towel. All it really takes is some good elbow grease. Avoid dry cleaning unless it's lipstick. Dry cleaning could remove the color, but bake the oil in.

 

[Babydoll]

Flocked Fancy (full circle - double layer):

(the outer layer of fabric is flocked, and see through. I got it for $1/yd., so I bought lining in a light lavender to make a lining, also $1/yd.)

Details of Flocked Fancy:

I need your help, ladies. Last night I wore this skirt to my friend Sweetpea's birthday party show. Towards the end of the night drunk fella spilled a vodka/cran down my arm (dousing my expensive watch with stickiness necessitating a visit to the jewelers for a proper cleaning), as well as the ENTIRE side of my skirt. I immediately went to the ladies room to assess the damage. Wet, wet, wet! I blotted some of it up getting pink residue in the process, but I know that I need to clean the skirt to get the fruitiness off of it. I'm afraid of what washing/drycleaning will do to the flocking on the skirt, though. I've only worn it twice so I've not had to deal with the cleaning of it yet. (Yes, I didn't wash it before I made the skirt... again, the flocking.)

Suggestions?

 

[goldwyn girl]

Do you have any scrap fabric left ? you could try hand washing it and see what happens before you immerse the skirt. I have had vintage flock dry cleaned and it was fine.

 

[Joie DeVive]

Sorry to hear about the party foul.

Did you happen to get the care instructions of the bolt when you bought the fabric?? That's assuming you bought it from a brick and mortar shop. If you bought it recently you could go back and look. If you bought it online, the seller might know the details. That might give you an idea where to start... [huh]

 

[Babydoll]

Do you have any scrap fabric left ? you could try hand washing it and see what happens before you immerse the skirt. I have had vintage flock dry cleaned and it was fine.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I don't keep any of my scraps. I bundle them up and give them to a cousin for her quilting circle. They make quilts to send all over the world as part of the missions program for their church.

This would be one of the times when I wish I would have kept the scraps, though.

 

[Babydoll]

Sorry to hear about the party foul.

Did you happen to get the care instructions of the bolt when you bought the fabric?? That's assuming you bought it from a brick and mortar shop. If you bought it recently you could go back and look. If you bought it online, the seller might know the details. That might give you an idea where to start... [huh]

I didn't read the care on the fabric. It was in a clearance bin, so I'm not sure if there was any type of care on the bolt.

I think that I'll have to test a bit of the back hem area to see how the flocking takes being hand washed.

 

[Coconut Brgdr]

I didn't read the care on the fabric. It was in a clearance bin, so I'm not sure if there was any type of care on the bolt.

I think that I'll have to test a bit of the back hem area to see how the flocking takes being hand washed.

I agree that it's a good idea to test an inconspicuous area first. Handwashing or dry-cleaning should take care of it. Most modern flocked fabric is assembled using glue. I ruined a whole dress made of flocked material once by sticking it in the washer and dryer (foolishly thinking that I new better than the company that made the fabric). All the raised decoration washed off, leaving nothing but the imprint of the glue-albeit in a rather charming floral pattern.

I'm thinking positive washing thoughts your way.

 

[Rachael]

I too would recommend care in washing flocked fabric. I had a lady once call me in a panic because she needed a sequined dress repaired; she had worn it to a reception and unthinkingly slapped a 'Hello my Name Is:" badge right on her left shoulder. Since it was a glued-sequin fabric, she had a lovely bare patch where the tag had been. I recommended a fabric rose. [huh]