Sewing Technique, Fabric 101
Pre-treat Your Linen to Minimize Wrinkling!
A Nifty Method
I recently learned of Sandra Betzina’s linen pretreating method – said to minimize wrinkling and future shrinkage – and I decided to give it a try!
If you don’t already know, Sandra is an accomplished author, producer, speaker, and pattern designer. She’s well-known for her helpful Power Sewing DVDs, her HGTV show Sew Perfect, and her fun line of Today’s Fit Vogue patterns. In short – Sandra is something of a sewing genius!
No #Shrinkling
When it comes to caring for linen, I typically recommend dry cleaning because it doesn’t always do well in the washer and dryer. But, after a few tests and comparisons, I found that linen pretreated using Sandra’s method did in fact wrinkle and shrink less.
Here is Sandra’s method:
- Iron your linen with a dry iron on the hottest setting.
- Wash hot with detergent.
- Dry on high heat until almost dry.
- Take it out and press with a dry, hot iron once more.
As you can see, the piece of linen I pretreated using Sandra’s method came out a lot less wrinkled and frayed than the piece that I washed and dried normally. It also softened nicely and took on an even crinkle that I think will look great all sewn up!
Though you could potentially wash and dry warm, I recommend washing cold and line-drying your linen garments after pre-treating them this way. I’ve found it helps with longevity as well as maintains the awesome effects of Sandra’s method.
Let me know how this method works for you!
~ Kate
What a great tip! That’s quite a difference on the outcome of different techniques of washes. I will definitely try this on my next batch of linen fabric! Thanks 🙂
You’re welcome, Jeri! Let us know how it works for you!
What do think about trying this RTW garments. I would imagine shrinkage is the biggest problem…
I think it would work. Try it with linen yardage first, but I had very little shrinkage with my linen yardage. 🙂
Do you recommend this technique for the washable linen as well? I just purchased some of the RK Brussels – love it by the way! Thanks for the advice….
No. The brussels washer linen just needs to be washed and dried twice before you cut out your pattern pieces. No need to pretreat.
🙂 Kate
I’d like to try this method but was concerned that the colors might fade in the hot water wash. Have you noticed any fading?
Also, do you think this method would work for a linen-cotton blend?
Thank you for sharing!
Hey Rae!
Thanks for your question. We have not noticed any fading, and we’ve tried this method on several different linens! If you’re worried though you can always cut a little piece and give it a test wash! Additionally, this method should also work great on cotton/linen blends.
Thanks,
Kate