Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Easy Way to "Iron" Linen


What is the difference between the right side of the roll, and the left side?

This linen has been pre- washed, Thoroughly dried,
 and laid in a jumble until I could get to it.

To ready it for putting on a roll, I laid it out 
on the cutting table.

 My cutting table is a yard-sale
 ping pong table top, supported by cabinets
 and is 60" wide by 72" long.

First, I cut off the selvedges. 

Then I sprayed the entire piece with water
from a spray bottle.

With only my hands, I smoothed the fabric,
lengthwise and crosswise.

When satisfied the grain was aligned correctly
and most of the wrinkles gone,

I turned on the ceiling fan, and left it to dry.

That is the ONLY difference
 between the two areas of fabric.

When water is absorbed by the linen, the fiber
relaxes and wrinkles disappear. 
It can expand, but will return to size when dry. 
It is important to avoid over-drying linen.
Do not store it damp, to avoid mildew. 
If my linen is wet, and I can't work it at 
the moment, I will sometimes 
put it in the a plastic bag in the freezer.

When I wash my linen garments, I dry them on the
lowest setting, and when possible, remove
them before they are completely dry.
If they do get dry, I will re-wet them. 
Details will be finger pressed, and
I may hang the garment to finish drying, or
will lay it flat and press with my palms.

I will "iron" a blouse occasionally, depending
on the style and embellishments.

This particular linen is from Dharma Trading.
It is their Lin 21: 3.8 oz. - 52 X 53 tpi.
Its lightness, and slight transparency makes
it suitable for lingerie and blouses. Like all Dharma 
fabrics, it dyes beautifully.


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