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September 3, 2021
So you have made something wonderful from your core pattern or for something else, and it's turning out great. It's so great that you've worn it every day for the last 4 days. Yes, I've done that too, but I went different places each day so didn't feel badly about it.
That happens a lot when you have something you've finished that really works really well. It's such a wonderful high to do that, but now, suddenly there's a mark on it, or you were out walking the dog and it got really hot and you've sweated in your new outfit, or it's just plain dirty. How are you going to take care of this so that it returns back to it's natural wonderfulness?
The first thing to remember here is that washing and especially dry cleaning are the worst things you can do for you clothing. In case you didn't know, the dry cleaners puts your garment in a solution, that isn't always fresh and often has been used to clean other items. That goes into a huge tub where it's jostled around and then goes into a drying sequence depending upon what solution the dry cleaner has used. If it's naphtha based, then it may be
allowed to dry in the air (actually the cleaning solution evaporates from the clothing. If it's closer to a detergent solution, then it will need to have some help from a dryer to dry. Both of these processes shake, rattle and roll the fabric, the construction and the overall shape and the way the garment fits all affected by this cleaning process.
As well, washing at home is a lot gentler, but it isn't all roses when you launder in the machine and dryer. This too jostles around the clothing and can cause it to stretch and give and stretch the fabrics and all parts of the garment.
In RTW, this is the biggest reason clothes don't last. The lasting factor of RTW is usually gauged in how many washings the garment can withstand. That figure usually runs around 2 to 5 washings and the garment is enough warped or destroyed that it's no longer wearable.
What to do if all cleaning messes up clothing?
Your me-made garment may still be wearable but it will change a lot in washing or professionally dry cleaning.
How to Wear Your Great Garments?
So the first thing to is to realize that no cleaning is so much better for your clothing. I know, clothing gets dirty, but let's be honest, even if you wear it for the first 4 days every day, there are things you can do to keep your garment freshened.
- Hang your garment every night - this prevents wrinkles and other problems from deepening in your garment. And for your ponte pants, hanging them overnight returns them to their original shape because ponte does have knee-spring and fanny-spring, but hanging them will draw this out and return them to their original shape. Your tops and other garments will also return to the same shape before you wore
them. This also helps your clothes air out and a lot of odors that might be lingering in your garments so the odors will be removed by being aired out.
- For spots - Stuff happens, it's life, so the best thing you can do is treat any spots as soon as they happen. This works for blood, enzymes and about anything except permanent dyes and some berries that have a very strong tannin which is like a permanent dye. But you can remove even those with soaking right after the "oops" is made, soak in water and use a very strong detergent (Tide is
my favorite). Let it soak for a couple of hours. You can also use Chlorine bleach or Oxygen bleach for colors and let that soak for a couple of hours. Soaking is one of the mystery cleaning methods here that can really do wonders. The key here is to get the spot as soon as you found it.
For general dirty garment - This is something that has all over dirt like on sleeves or hem or something like that. If it's delicate or it has a really delicate construction, soaking can be a huge problem-solver here. One of my favorite things to use for human oil on fabric is 1 part Dawn, 4 parts baking soda and mix into a thick muck, then apply on the affected area(s) and allow it to soak for 4 or 5
hours or overnight. This is great on human oily marks. For naphtha type stains Fels Naphtha bar is great. Rub the area with the Naphtha bar and let it soak. Of course if your garment is white, Chlorine bleach is excellent. Not quite as good, but for colors Oxygen bleach is your solution. Soaking the whole garment, even if it's delicate or delicately assembled (lots of hand stitching that you want to preserve), is one of the best ways to clean the whole
garment. This is something I use on my heirloom gowns when they are really dirty, and it works every time.
There's Always a Caveat:
Be careful with the Chlorine bleach. It's really a wonder on white and that IS why I have white sheets - so easy to clean. But keep the bleach away from the silk. As a matter of fact this is a fail-proof test for silk content: put the silk in Chlorine bleach and let stand for a few hours. If it's gone, it's silk. If part of it's gone, it was part silk. If it's still there it's either acetate or rayon. The bleach will
disintegrate the silk, so no bleach on silk.
More on Silk:
Silk also does not take dye well. That means those darker colored silks are "over-dyed" and that means every time you wash silk (and silk is almost always beautifully washable), it will bleed. So no dark red silk with the white undies, unless you want pink undies. I also like using Synthropol with silk as it suspends the dye in the water so that it doesn't re-dye and streak the washed silk. And you do have to press the silk when you finished, unless
you want that soft washed look.
If you do decide you need to go to a professional cleaners, ask them the process they use to clean your garment. You may not understand it, but you will know if they are sincere, genuine and that belies their honesty. If they don't know what they are talking about, that's a clear signal that there's not too much care in the garments. If they explain anything to you and answer your dumb
questions without making you feel dumb, you've found a gem. Ask them if they use "clean" solution (something that hasn't been used over and over). Ask them if they can clean your delicate garment, and if they can't, tell them you want them to be honest with you. This is the drop-dead question cause if they say no they can't, keep them in mind for something simpler, and go on.
My Secret Weapons:
My two biggest secret weapons on cleaning my beautiful garments are soaking and the Dawn/Baking soda mixture. These work beautifully on almost anything. If you can hang to dry that's even better, even if it's still a little drippy after the wash cause you don't want to wring the garment, that's OK too.
Isn't that what a shower was invented for?!!!! But it is the perfect place to hang a dripping garment till it dries without wringing it dry.
As always I'm interested in your questions about this as well as any other suggestions or problems with the care of your garments.
This is the quintessential toolbox for the wannabe designer, and you don't even have to draw to use them. All you have to do is trace. That may sound just a little too far-fetched, but believe me, not all designers can draw, and most of them do not sew. So you are one up on most designers.
This package includes a lot:
Elements & Principles of Design w/Color
Proportion (Divine and Rule of Thirds) and Apex Point Fitting
and something new:
 Sketching - taking the idea to sketch, to pattern to garment and yes, you can do that. It's not that hard. There are a lot of steps, but this is the final part of the whole package of creating something especially for yourself.
You know all those pictures on Pinterest or pinned in your studio or on your bathroom mirror?...those ones you know you would look smashing in if...1.) you could find the right pattern, 2.) you might be able to find it in RTW, but to fit you would be a problem or 3.) you've always wanted to create a look or certain collar or fabulous sleeve or some other detail and never knew how. Here's how to do that.
This does require that you have your core pattern up and running. That's what the whole pattern will be based on and it is what makes all this work so well. Whereas commercial pattern makers and designers have to go through 5 to 8 iterations to get it right, with your core pattern, we already know it works, and what we're doing is copying that to make the style you want.
If you already have only one of the above, then you have the opportunity here to bring your toolbox up to date by acquiring the only what you need at a discounted price. The Sketching Resource is the only one that's new that no one has before this month.
At the same time if you want the whole kit and caboodle, it's at an even greater discount than normal. Here's everything with the whole kit and caboodle at the bottom!
Enjoy!
Elements & Principles of Design with Color Primer - This is what art and design students learn in art school. The only difference between them and you is that they have the time to play around with them. But we can do the same, albeit a little less time.
Fitting with Proportion and Figure-Flattering Tools
(This one comes in two parts)
Sketching - From Idea to Garment
The Design Toolbox - All Three Resources above in one download at a terrific price.
Once this special is over, the Sketching will go into both the Proportion and Elements & Principles (it's already in the Toolbox), at regular pricing.
On the Blog
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