These are the various steps of restoration:
My problem is like food the garment industry has plastered care tags that take all the responsibility off the manufacturer. Or perhaps lay the possibility of destruction onto the poor dry cleaner.
I very rarely send anything to the dry cleaners. In the process of dry cleaning chemicals are used and typically the item is cleaned on the outside and not inside as well. In my opinion this isn't cleaning. So many times a "spot" tag is returned with the laundry which simply means we tried to clean it but there was this spot preventing us from doing so. I say to myself: "you charged me how much for that notice and my garment isn't clean?" Who's the dummy here?
Testing the fabric for water washing is easily done. First all natural fibers can get wet. This includes: cotton, linen, flax, silk, cashmere, wool, mohair, etc. Many man-made fibers can take water too such as: rayon, polyester, acrylic, etc. Blends of natural and man made fibers can be washed with water too. Definite exceptions are felted items (knit and then shrunk), hand-made items that employed the use of water and embedded objects to altar the fabric itself. What I mean here is there are fabrics that have been given 3-D looks via a process when it was wet so getting it wet will destroy that.
There was a time that I would see gowns of silks, sequins and beads stained and crying on hangers in thrift stores. I would take complete pity on them by purchasing and taking them home. On one occasion I found a beautiful yellow chiffon short dancing gown with a bodice of intricate beading: circa 1950's. The poor dress was pathetic. The skirt was dingy, stained and heavy with aged dirt. The sequins and beads in many places were missing or coming off. I stared at it pondering how I could help. The first duty was a thorough cleaning. I decided it had to take a swim. I dunked it into a Woolite bath. The water turned black! Yes, totally. It was so dirty I washed it another time and then again. The dress was limp as the chiffon gave up all the decades of use. I thought I had ruined the dress but when it was dry the silk was light as air and the chiffon was a gorgeous shade of pale yellow not the dingy yellow it was. Next I replaced and repaired the bodice. Stunning! The dress is a gem as seen in the picture here and at bottom.
My advice to cleaning most anything is to test it for water on a small bit. Unless you are totally nervous and then you need your dry cleaner. Truly, the best way to clean is with water and soap. I use Woolite, handwashing solution and Fels Naptha which can usually be found in the grocery as a bar soap. The bar is great for rubbing into spots and lifting real dirt. Sometimes repeating this action for best results. I tend to wash sweaters this way being careful with woolens to stay away from hot or warm water that can shrink it. A pillow case or laundry bag designed for delicate garments is the best way to put the freshly cleaned sweater for a spin in the washer. I don't rinse in the machine but will let the washing machine remove the excess water. As for the dryer. I don't use it usually. My preferred place to dry is laying a sweater flat on a towel in a bathtub or on a towel outdoors. Another alternative to spinning the water out in the machine is to lay the sweater flat on a large towel, turn the sides of the towel in, roll the towel up with the sweater inside and then twist the towel from one end restraining the opposite end. Then repeat this twisting the towel in the opposite direction. Repeat this until all the water is out of the sweater.
It's amazing how clean and fresh the sweater is too.
As for storing. Please don't put a sweater on a hanger. The best way to keep a sweater is nicely folded in a drawer. Moth balls? Yikes! NEVER. Once a moth ball is near a sweater it's done. Unless you like walking around with moth ball perfume on. I've never smelled a sweater that has shed that smell once it has adopted it. When the seasons change and it's time to store your sweater clean it, fold it and store it in a plastic zip bag.
This is the best way to discourage moths I've found. If there is moth at least it's contained to the one garment - hopefully.
Vintage yellow chiffon dress with detail of skirt. Circa 1950's
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Do you suffer from a closet full of unfinished projects?????
To get a project finished I learned long ago the importance of patience. Patience comes naturally for some but I believe it can be acquired.
Think of moments in your life when the excitement of it made you want the time between now and then to disappear. I recall getting so excited about something in the future that when it passed I felt sad. Sad, you ask? Yes. I had lived my life for that futuremoment abandoning what I had now.
What does this have to do with patience? If I truly live in my minutes every hour and every day then I will be content with my life experiences as they occur. This small but very challenging step is the foundation of patience. I believe that gaining patience leads to happiness and many creative projects will get finished.
Being creative forces me to think now, not then or when, but just what is right this very instant. When I am exhibiting I often hear: “where do you get the time?” Or “do you ever sleep?” I’ve also heard: “I envy people like you that can finish. I started a…(fill in the blank)”. Or my pet peeve one: “how long did it take you to make that?” - Argh! Stop! Right there! If I can do it; YOU can! That’s what I say. - Find the patience.
As a needle worker creations can be challenging and require many hours or days to finish. To tackle this I always pack work to take along with me. If it’s a large project I will break it up into various smaller ones. This way my portable assignment can be completed and is easy to carry. It also helps the final larger project seem a bit smaller and achievable to finish. Once the smaller pieces are done assembling the larger one is easier too.
When I was in high school with ten or fifteen minutes between lessons I would run to my next class trying to irk as many seconds or minutes as I could till the start of the class. Maybe I could get one or two stitches done. I figured with six classes I might get a row done. Take that by five days a week and I could get five rows just by getting to my classes early and working on my project. I would play a game like: I must knit six inches in a day. Then I could look at seven days and realize how far and long it would take me to finish. Thinking about this approach, I believe is a wonderful tool to acquire how to be patient. I recall days when I would have preferred not to sit and knit but forced myself to. This is all part of how I acquired my patience. Today, at school reunions, I hear friends accuse me of always knitting between bells.
This exact approach worked for me when I was a flight attendant. One trip I worked on a jacket between flights. During one stop-over the passengers were boarding before I had time to put my piece away. I managed to get five rows done though!
In order to be a portable needle-worker it takes thinking ahead and getting organized. I have a small bag that zips shut I carry my work in. It’s soft, crush-able and fits nicely into another bag for traveling. It looks like a handbag. People often compliment this bag so make yours one you like to carry. Photo copy the pattern or instructions you are using. Why would you want to lug a book around? Besides its less wear on your cherished books. Don’t forget to copy the abbreviations too.
bag are: a small tape measure, tiny snips, a stitch holder, some paper, pencil, various knitting and crochet needles in the gauges I prefer. A small tube that once held seed beads holds tapestry and sewing needles. I tied an orange strand of yarn onto it so I could locate it quickly in my organizer. If I'm on an airplane I may remove the snips replacing those with a dental floss container. It's enough to get a thread or yarn cut and I'm not the sad victim of a TSA loss. {which has happened to me :-(}
Did this help you get a knitting needle organizer? How do you tackle a large-scale project?
I've included thru this posting images of the intarsia hand-knit bomber jacket I knit in 1988 whilst flying for the airlines. It's made from wool and angora. Fulled lined with a zippered front opening.
Here is an image of my favorite knit bag!
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My Mum (a brit) taught me to knit when I was about 8 years old. I had mastered the knobby she made for me from a spent thread spool with nails hammered around the top. Now it was time to learn the ‘real’ thing – straight needles. She gave me a kit which was in a tin that was designed to hold the project: a skein of yarn and a pair of #8 needles. The can was like a tall coffee tin with a lid that had a hole in the center of it and a thick string for a handle. The hole was to allow the yarn to pass thru while the can held the skein. I thought how ingenious this was. The kit also had a picture of my favorite doll on it.
My Barbie had numerous outfits but this one would be the prize. It was perfect for my brunette that sat next to me watching over the entire process. I remember being absorbed by this project for what must have been hours. It was incredible the way the yarn worked into patches of color changing with each row or stitch. The yarn was space-dyed and I had never seen anything so magical. I worked diligently lost to the yarn and needles.
There were a few times that I had to ask Mom to fix split stitches, added stitches or ones that got twisted somehow she would quickly put it right. I was determined to have this dress finished that evening. Barbie seemed to agree too. Unfortunately that wasn’t to be as I was told it was time for bed. I tried to resist this but finally did as I was told. As I looked at the dress project I hadn’t even accomplished half of it. Even worse were all the holes and missed stitches throughout the dress. Feeling sad, annoyed and a bit defeated I went to bed.
When I awoke there was the dress for Barbie at the end of my bed. The dress was perfectly knit with no holes. The top of the dress was in stockinette stitch and the skirt knitted in garter stitch. There was even a belt to tie at the waist. The sleeveless dress fit perfectly. I’ll never forget this beautiful surprise my Mother secretly gave me. I thought she stayed up all night to make it for me. She loved me the most, I knew. Happy Mum’s Day!
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Hand knit Barbie Dress by Robin
1960′s Barbie Dress:
Skein of worsted weight yarn – preferably space-dyed
pair of #8 straight needles
gauge: 4 stitches and 6 rows = 1 inch over stockinette stitch.
SSK explanation.
Cast on 15 stitches.
knit in garter stitch for 3″
knit 2 stitches; k 2 tog; knit 2; knit 2 tog; knit 3; knit 2 tog; knit 2. (12 sts).
p 1 row
k 1 row
p 1 row
k1; ssk; knit last 3 stitches; k 2 tog; k1. (10 sts)
p1 row
k 1 row
p 1 row
k1; ssk; knit last 3 stitches; k 2 tog; k1. (8 sts)
p1 row
k 1 row
p 1 row
k1; ssk; knit last 3 stitches; k 2 tog; k1. (6 sts)
p 1 row
k 2, bind off 2, k 2
p 2
k 2 tog
p 1
k1
p1
k1; slip yarn through last stitch. cut off
start opposite side: p 2 stitches
slip;slip; knit
p1
k1
p1
With single stitch on needle cast on 5 stitches; knit bound off single stitch from opposite side (6 sts)
p 1 row
k1; make 1; knit to last 2; make 1; k 1.(8 sts)
p 1 row
k 1 row
p 1 row
k1; make 1; knit to last 2; make 1; k 1.(10 sts)
p 1 row
k 1 row
p 1 row
k1; make 1; knit to last 2; make 1; k1 (12 sts).
knit 2 stitches; make 1 knit 4; make 1; knit 4; make 1; knit 2. (15 sts).
knit in garter for 3 “.
bind off loosely
knit sides
Belt:
Braid three yarns each 12″ long.
Share your Barbie dress with me! -robin@relovedfabrics.com
Love to hear your comments here too.
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