That fabric store owner told me to never prewash linen... she was dead wrong.

I was designing a summer dress collection back in March and bought 15 yards of linen from a shop in Portland. The owner said prewashing ruins the drape and to just cut it raw. I trusted her and skipped washing it. After I finished the first dress and wore it twice, the whole thing shrank unevenly and the seams puckered like crazy. Now I have to remake the entire piece and I'm out $40 in wasted fabric. Has anyone else had a fabric seller give bad advice that cost you time?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonk9813d ago

Wait, she told you to never dry clean silk? That's wild - silk basically needs dry cleaning to keep it from getting ruined in water. How did that blouse even survive before you took it in?

patricia3213d ago

Ugh, I totally get where you're coming from with the "always trust my own research" thing, @blair_chen81. That seller's advice sounds like it came from a good place but was just totally wrong for that blouse, you know? Honestly, some shop owners get stuck on old rules and it's a gamble whether their tips actually work for modern silk or older pieces like yours.

blair_chen8113d ago

Seller in Austin told me to never dry clean silk because it would destroy the delicate fibers. Dry cleaned a vintage silk blouse anyway and it came back perfect, no issues at all. Now I always trust my own research over shop owner advice, learned that one the hard way too.