A lot of times garment tags will say Dry Clean only because it is the safest way to clean them. However, unless the content is rayon, it's usually safe to wash the garment by hand in cold water. With wool, the biggest problem with washing a garment is that the fabric might shrink and thus render the garment unwearable. However, if the fabric shrinks evenly, there's no reason why it can't be used in a quilt.

Thank you for the lint trap reminder.
My large piece shrank over a yard!

Does the process described "felt" the wool so it can be used as raw edge applique without fraying? I love the felted wool applique quilts done with fancy applique stitches and blanket stitch around the applique and if I ever acquire some cast off wool clothing I would like to give it a try.

One of my grandmothers made wool quilts and this is what she would do, too. All of her wool was from salvaged clothing, and thanks to all her pre-washing, I can machine-wash her quilts pretty fearlessly, except for the oldest ones that need a little more TLC these days.

I use woolen clothing a lot in my quilts. One thing I have found useful is to cut the garment into large pieces (basically taking out all the joins/seams) then wash. Some fabric shrinks a fair bit, but I have cut up skirts and jackets that have had minimal/no shrinkage. With the seams/hems and whatnot cut out you will get maximum shrinkage and after washing/drying/pressing you will have usable fabric which will pretty much withstand everything.

The process is the same for felting wool but I think for felting you need (1) 100% wool, no blends, and (2) I believe you need to start with knitted wool. When you start with woven wool fabric, I don't think you get the edges that don't ravel. The upside is that you typically get only a little shrinkage with woven fabric; knitted wool is where you can get the humongous shrinkage. It is that shrinkage that tightens all the fibers so much that nothing ravels. I think. I've felted knitted garments only by accident. :shock:

Felting (it's more acurately called 'fulling'...'felting' is done on raw, unspun fibers) is done on processed fibers...that includes woven, knitted, and crocheted wool and other protein fibers (angora, cashmere, etc). Fulled/felted edges don't ravel no matter what 100% pure product you start with.*

The woven vs. knitted difference in shrinkage is due to the difference in processing procedures the wool has already been through, the alignment of the fibers within the fabric/yarn (end to end or jumbled), and the straightness/kinkyness of the fibers. It is the tighter interlocking of the hooks in the fibers on shrinking that prevents the raveling.

*The exception is worsted wools. They do tend to ravel, even after felting/fulling.

More info:
http://www.quiltmaker.com/articles/f...ing_woven_wool

well that's an awkward place to break that hyperlink, isn't it! :shock:

rofl!!!! :d :d :d