batik question
 

I am going to make myself a jacket out of batik fabric. Will it shrink? Do I need to prewash? I kind of hope not because I want to get started on it tonight. The patterns states that it is truly a 3 hour project. Yeah, right! It's been a long, long time since I have sewn any clothes.

I always prewash but I think it is really a personal prefrence. Would not want to put that much work in to it just to have it shrink when washed. I understand wanting to get started right away though!!!!

I would wash it by hand. Not so much for the shrinkage - but for the bleeding. I just got done gently hand washing all of my batiks - over 200 pieces - from fat quarters to yardage - and at least half of it bled. I did all of them in a pure white dish pan in my kitchen sink and most of the darker, brighter colors turned the water into colored water. I gently rung the water out of them and then rolled up in big thirsty towels and let them sit for awhile. Then I hung them over a clothesline in my living room that my DH put up for me - I did not want them outside in the sun. Most did not wrinkly too much this way.

I just asked about this in the chat room. Someone said that it probably wouldn't shrink but that color bleeding might be a problem. Shoot! I guess I will go throw it in the washer. Thanks for your help mighty.

Nikkilu, is there a reason not to just wash it in the washer and then dry in the dryer? Why hand wash?

Smaller pieces will get very tangled- also you might want to throw some color catchers in the wash with them. When I was washing my Batiks even the blues and greens ran :( there is also a chemical you can get to help set the colors--Retayne- had to think for a moment LOL

This is a 4 yard piece of fabric.

No, had just washed dishes and had a clean white dishpan and decided to dunk a few bright fat quarters in the water with a drop of soap and boy was I surprised. I swished the FQ around a bit and then rinsed until the water was clear. I actually had to throw away two pieces that would never quit bleeding. One was a very dark blue - the other had green in it.

Thanks for your quick replies everyone. It is in the washer.

since it is a batik, i would definitely wash it first.

I like your way of doing the wash.

After purchasing fabric I wash all fabric in hot water and put in the dryer until almost dry and lay it out to finish drying (got to hit that window when they are close to dry but haven't wrinkled yet so I don't have to iron). I also use a white and/or a clear pan or bin to wash new fabrics in that I suspect might run and to let them shrink if they are going to. Then I throw them into (get ready for bragging) my new front loader set on "spin" and then throw them into the dryer until they are almost dry. Over the years I've found that dryers shrink as well as washers so I always use both. BUT, the important reason I concentrate on bright/dark fabrics is so I can take any seriously bleeding fabric and treat it with salt in cold water to help set the color. Busy mamas or clueless nephews won't think about being careful when they wash the quilt so I do what I can to eliminate any bleeding or shrinking problems. Also, I try to remember to put a note on the quilt telling the new owner to use the gentle cycle if they have an agitator machine! After "only" seven years two of my quilts started having serious problems, and the mama only washed them every two weeks in her agitating washer along with all the other clothes (ie. on "regular" cycle). Glad they're being used. And they do have a lot of allergies so clean is important.

I would wash all batiks - Some have a dye washed over them - I watched a batiks dye company do that.... I had a dark blue batiks when just washed - would bleed and bleed dark purple - used retayne it stopped it bleeding a dark purple and actually stopped it from bleeding - but when washing the quilt (which had a lot of white) I used Synphal (spelling is not correct) - Used both for dying fabic and they really work - I also put a color catcher in the wash as well.... I watch all batiks -

Would love to see the jacket when you finish it. I bet it will be awesome!

Blues, Reds, Purples and some greens have a tendency to bleed. Batik usually doesn't shrink that much because of the process of removing the dye inhibitors (wax) but some of them will bleed. I don't usually wash them unless they're dark of those colors.

The other reason for pre-washing is that even if you never plan to wash it, but rather dry clean it, I have had batiks bleed on to other clothing and my skin when they haven't been pre-washed. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Definately prewash- or pretreat. I made a jacket for my sister out of batiks.. well she got caught in the rain... and it ran/blead onto the shirt she was wearing under the jacket.

I would definitely wash it, not only for shrinkage because different batiks shrink at a different rate, but because some batiks bleed, so I would use a dye catcher with it.