How to Shrink Polyester Cotton Blend
Many purchased garments are preshrunk before the manufacturing process, but if you are sewing at home, preshrinking is in your hands. Fabric woven from a blend of polyester and cotton will only shrink a little bit, if it shrinks at all. Any fabric that contains cotton should, before being used in a garment or any sewing project, be preshrunk. A blend of heat and moisture, either from steam ironing or washing and drying, will shrink polyester cotton.
Things You'll Need
- Steam iron (optional)
- Ironing board (optional)
- Cotton pressing cloth, light colored (optional)
- Washing machine
- Mild detergent
- Dryer
Instructions
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If you opt to use the iron, set the steam iron on the poly-cotton blend setting. Spread the fabric, over the ironing board, and smooth out large wrinkles with your hand. Spread the pressing cloth over the fabric, and gently slide the hot iron from side to side over the fabric. Spend at least 1 minute on each ironing board sized section of fabric, Then remove the pressing cloth and position the next area of the fabric on the board, replace the cloth, and iron.
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If you prefer to use the washer and dryer instead of ironing, set the washing machine to fill with warm water. Pour the laundry detergent into the filling water, and put the fabric into the washer tub. Allow the washing machine to complete the wash and rinse cycles.
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Put the polyester cotton fabric into the dryer, and set the heat to medium-high. Run the dryer, and remove the fabric as soon as it is dry to avoid damaging the fabric.
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Tips & Warnings
Preshrink fabric according to the fabric's normal care specifications. Applying excessive heat is damaging to fabric fibers.
References
- Photo Credit draperies image by Pavel Losevsky from Fotolia.com
