09 April 2008

Working with Chenille Part 1

So I have come across a few questions about working with my chenille project. Since I have never worked with the material before I was wondering if any of you might know the answers.

First, should I pre-wash it or will it all just fall apart?

If I don't pre-wash it will it shrink the first time I do through it in the wash?

If it does shrink, does it shrink uniformly or does it shrink in one certain direction? IE with the stripes or against the stripes?

Here is my concern, that if I pre-wash it the material will unravel too much to make it worth using, but if I don't then the project will be all distorted after sewing the panel together that it will not sit flat as a blanket should.

Maybe this is why it has been sitting on my shelf waiting for a project.... cause I am a little hesitant to use it???

3 comments:

Joanna said...

fold the material in half, selvege edges together, then sew the cut sides together about 1/2 an inch in from the sides, then wash it. it will shrink if it wants to and won't unravel.

Johanna said...

Even if you don't do this, it won't unravel when you wash it as long as the selveges are still attached. It does not shrink uniformly so it is absolutely necessary to pre-wash. It is not as fragile as you think! It will lose a lot of fuzz though so make sure your lint trap is clean!

M said...

Thanks, I will try it.