Question:
Response:
Hi Carol
Ok… take a deep breath.
You’re not alone. Squaring certain types of fabric can be frustrating.
First, I want you to trim off the selvage edge. Don’t be too exact about it. Try 1/4″. The weave is too tight and it’s skewing everything.
Once the edge is gone, the rest of the weave will relax and you’ll be able to work with it much easier.
Now, refold with the selvage edges together. Pin to keep from sliding if this is an issue. Measure across in several places to make sure the width is consistent all the way down.
Ok… so far so good.
Now, I want you to unfold your fabric and lay it flat right side up. Choose an edge as the bottom. Fold up the bottom edge 12″ and align the side edges. Pin to hold this in place.
Now, measure from the bottom folded edge up to the shortest point. You may have to measure in a few places to find it.
Measure up from the bottom folded edge that measurement in several spots and mark. Draw a line
Unfold and trim off the bottom edge on that line.
Do the same for the top edge.
Let me know how it goes
Jen
Question
Well…….. I should have read the email before I replied back to you. I already have a question. You say to trim off the selvage edge. The white selvage is about 1/2″ - 5/8″ wide. Do you mean to only cut off about 1/4″ of that or am I supposed to cut off all the selvage right to the printed part of the fabric?
Response
I would trim it to the printed fabric. If you need to, just shorten the hems. It will be fine. If you need help with measurements once it’s all cut, just let me know.
Question
March 9th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
When length measurements — taken on grain, across the width of the fabric aren’t exactly the same amount, it means that during the finishing process (sizing, pressing and folding or rolling) the fabric was stretched. Sometimes the stretching is only minuetly, sometimes a lot, depending on the content of the fabric and/or the weave. Loosely woven fabrics stretch more than others resulting in badly skewed grain lines. More than likely, the length of the warp threads were exactly the same length when the fabric was being woven on the loom. The permanent solution is to relax the warp threads so they all return to their original loom length so that they will hang straight from top to bottom after you hang your curtains. The only “best” way to relax the warp threads is to pre-shrink the entire piece of fabric or panel of fabric. Pre-shrinking softens the sizing that was used to stiffen the fabric in the final finishing process. Sizing is an interchangeable word for the stuff we commonly call “starch”; there are many formulas for making sizing, but it all acts pretty much the same in that nearly all sizing is water soluble. In some instances it can be formulated out of a plasticized polymer, but rarely found in drapery fabrics. One of the secrets used to finish fabric before it is rolled onto bolts and sold by the fabric industry is process by which fabrics are tightly stretched, steamed and ironed so that every fiber is stretched to its most extreme width and length. Did you ever wonder what all those little holes in the selvages along the length-wise edges were for? Those little holes were made by small, sharp “tender hooks” that are used to grasp the selvage edges of the fabric during the process of stretching and heat setting the fabric during the last stage of finishing. Because it is a mechanical process, there is a margin of error as to how exactly square the fabric will be when it comes off the tender hooks. Natural fibers - cotton, wool, silk and blends of each of those, are subject to more skewing than man made fibers, because they naturally strech more, and/or shrink, than synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon can. Regardless of the fiber content, in general, it is the sizing that is used that will cause the greatest problem when it comes to straightening and/or squaring up fabric before it is cut to length.
The safetest way to pre-shrink fabric panels is to wrap it in another, larger size, piece of barely-damp fabric and allow the mosture to soften the sizing enough so that all the warp threads can relax to their original intended length. A clean white sheet is an excelent pre-shrinking fabric to use to wrap your fashion fabric in. The process is to dampen the sheet completely (throw it in the washing machine, put it through the wrinse cycle and then into the dryer and let it dry until it nearly dry, but still noticible damp. Lay it out on a flat surface, like your bed, then lay your fashion fabric on top; flip the edges of the sheet over the edges of the upper panel; then fold each length-wise edge toward the center of the sheet; then fold the sandwiched panel in half again — you will have eight thickness of fabric folded along the warp or length grain. Now do the same thing to the width of the fabric — top and bottom to the center, fold to the center again and then fold in half once more, forming a compact little package. Let the folded package set for about an hour and then unwrap and allow the fashion fabric to air dry completely. More than likely, you will want to steam any wrinkles that may have formed during the pre-shrinking process. Please note, I would recommend you use this procedure with any kind of silk or silk blend. The sizing in silk, if it gets wet with water, tends to leave a dark stain or blotch on the surface. It works best with cotton, linen, wool and almost all forms of synthetics. Clipping the selvage edges ever six inches before beginning the pre-shinking process is also helpful because selvages are woven tighter and often with completely different types of fabric fibers. Good luck. I hope this information will be useful now or in the future.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Opps. In the preceeding recomendation for squaring up fabrics, I omitted a very important word to the sentence near the bottom of the page regarding silk fabrics. The sentence should have read: “Please note, I would NOT recommend you use this procedure with any kind of silk or silk blend.”
March 11th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Great info Wendell! Can you tell me about those secret coded numbers on the selvage of home decor fabrics?
March 12th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Lesa, I think what you are referring to is like a “legend” referring to the dye colors used as well as item or style numbers, known to and by the manufacturer. HTH.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:48 am
I have one simple solution to add….sometimes you have cut it correctly but in the moving around of the piece, it ends up crooked. I have had this happen especially when working with valances. Lay it out flat and figure out which corners are off, tug gently using the natural stretch of the bias to straighten it out. You may have to tug in several different areas, but I have “fixed” what I thought were major mistakes using this simple solution.
BTW…the “legend” that Jane refers to is very helpful in coordinating colors for additional fabrics.
June 16th, 2009 at 9:43 am
The “legend” (it has another name, but can’t think of it at the moment)can also tell you if the fabric is printed properly. The colors should line up perfectly in the circles or squares. If they are outside, the fabric is not printed properly and can be troublesome