Scientific Experiment (long), not OT
 

Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same. All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
“hot”.

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had “twins”
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three “pinked” FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. “Pinking” the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 “Debbie Mumm” fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance, with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.


--
Anne in CA
"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got." -- Sheryl
Crow
http://home.covad.net/~arudolph/annes.htm


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I decided years ago not to bother with raveling, I use my serger. Yes it
takes a little time to serge all the raw edges, BUT it is less time than
clipping all those raveled edges. Less of a cleanup also.

Kate T.
South Mississippi


wrote in message
...
Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same. All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
"hot".

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had "twins"
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three "pinked" FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. "Pinking" the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 "Debbie Mumm" fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance, with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.


--
Anne in CA
"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got." -- Sheryl
Crow
http://home.covad.net/~arudolph/annes.htm


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I only dry very large pieces of fabric in the dryer. Anything a yard or less
I hang to almost dry and then iron dry the rest of the way. For FQ's I don't
even bother to hang.. they dry fairly quickly using a dry iron on the cotton
setting.

I did find on a piece of fabric that was 4 yards that if I did a large clip
on the corners it helped. That wouldn't be a good idea on a FQ though cause
you'd lose a significant amount of the piece.

Shirley

--
My Quilt Site
http://ca.geocities.com/meadow1951/index.html

Inspiring Thoughts
http://members.tripod.com/inspiring-thoughts/index.html
wrote in message
...
Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same. All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
"hot".

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had "twins"
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three "pinked" FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. "Pinking" the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 "Debbie Mumm" fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance, with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.


--
Anne in CA
"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got." -- Sheryl
Crow
http://home.covad.net/~arudolph/annes.htm


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On Tue, 18 May 2004 14:10:53 -0700, wrote:

Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same. All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
“hot”.

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had “twins”
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three “pinked” FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. “Pinking” the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 “Debbie Mumm” fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance, with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.

Thank you for conducting your experiment scientifically! I have
clipped sometimes, but not always, and didn't really see any
difference, so stopped. Thank you for providing figures and
everything. Will you be conducting a different scientific experiment
per week/per month? There's chocolate in it for you.... :)


-- Jo in Scotland

wrote in message

snip
Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. "Pinking" the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 "Debbie Mumm" fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance,
with higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large
enough batch of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.

I used to always clip my corners but I forgot once and didn't see much
difference. Now I just put them through the gentle cycle and I rarely get
much raveling at all.
--
Jeri
"Change is inevitable, except from vending machines."

Hey Jo,

I conduct scientific experiments almost daily, do I get chocolate? Dark
please :-)

Shona who works in science and thought she might practice a little begging
in NZ

"Johanna Gibson" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 18 May 2004 14:10:53 -0700, wrote:

Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same. All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
"hot".

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had "twins"
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three "pinked" FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. "Pinking" the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 "Debbie Mumm" fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance, with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.

Thank you for conducting your experiment scientifically! I have
clipped sometimes, but not always, and didn't really see any
difference, so stopped. Thank you for providing figures and
everything. Will you be conducting a different scientific experiment
per week/per month? There's chocolate in it for you.... :)


-- Jo in Scotland

I think you are not being able to tell a lot of diffenerce between clipping
and not clipping because you are dealing with FQs, not "whole" yardage. So
in essence you have 3 raw edges on each piece rather than two as you would
on yardage. On yardage, each clip would include one selvedge edge and one
raw cut edge; not so on the fats.

Becky

wrote in message
...
Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same. All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
"hot".

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had "twins"
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three "pinked" FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. "Pinking" the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 "Debbie Mumm" fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance, with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.


--
Anne in CA
"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got." -- Sheryl
Crow
http://home.covad.net/~arudolph/annes.htm


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I put mine in a lingerie bag and wash in gentle and that made for hardly any
raveling at all. The best for me is not to pre-wash.

--
Sugar & Spice Quilts by Linda E
http://community.webshots.com/user/frame242

Sorry. I can't help you with this scientific experiment. I am far too busy
counting spaghetti strands with Sherry and Sharon. We have our priorities,
you know. Polly

"Becky" bbkelher@remove spamaculink.net wrote in message
...
I think you are not being able to tell a lot of diffenerce between
clipping
and not clipping because you are dealing with FQs, not "whole" yardage.
So
in essence you have 3 raw edges on each piece rather than two as you would
on yardage. On yardage, each clip would include one selvedge edge and one
raw cut edge; not so on the fats.

Becky

wrote in message
...
Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same. All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
"hot".

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had "twins"
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three "pinked" FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. "Pinking" the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 "Debbie Mumm" fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance, with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.


--
Anne in CA
"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got." -- Sheryl
Crow
http://home.covad.net/~arudolph/annes.htm


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Oh, we understand Polly. I, for one, can hardly wait to hear the results of
your's, Sherry's and Sharon's experimental outcomes :-)

Shona who has never thought about how much weight spaghetti gains during the
cooking process in NZ

"Polly Esther" wrote in message
link.net...
Sorry. I can't help you with this scientific experiment. I am far too busy
counting spaghetti strands with Sherry and Sharon. We have our priorities,
you know. Polly

"Becky" bbkelher@remove spamaculink.net wrote in message
...
I think you are not being able to tell a lot of diffenerce between
clipping
and not clipping because you are dealing with FQs, not "whole" yardage.
So
in essence you have 3 raw edges on each piece rather than two as you
would
on yardage. On yardage, each clip would include one selvedge edge and
one
raw cut edge; not so on the fats.

Becky

wrote in message
...
Before someone else says it, yes, I did have too much time on my hands
today!

I am a dedicated pre-washer and have been interested in the threads
about clipping corners to keep fabric from raveling (unraveling?) in
the
wash. Today I acquired 22 FQs and decided to make an experiment out of
the washing process.

Thesis: clipping the corners of fabric pieces will prevent horrible
thread nests after washing.

Methodology: I clipped the corners on half of the FQs and left the
others whole. Where there were duplicates of fabrics (6 instances, 12
pieces in all) one of the pair was clipped and one left whole. Three
of
the unclipped FQs had arrived with edges cut with pinking shears. All
FQs were washed at the same time (cold wash/cold rinse, with a Color
Catcher) so that water level and detergent amount would be the same.
All
were dried, in the same load, for 20 minutes until mostly dry but not
"hot".

Results: Of 22 FQs, 8 raveled badly (defined as thread nest attaching
several pieces of fabric together and in two cases winding the fabric
into a knot); 4 raveled to some extent; 10 did not ravel at all.

Of the badly raveled FQs, 4 had been clipped. Two of those had
"twins"
that had been left unclipped. In neither case was the unclipped piece
more raveled than the clipped one. Of the three "pinked" FQs, one was
among the 4 that had raveled to some extent.

Conclusion: Clipping, in my laundry room anyway, does not seem to
significantly reduce the amount of edge raveling of FQs in the washer
and/or dryer. "Pinking" the edges may cause some slight reduction in
raveling.

Secondary observation: Weight of fabric did not seem to have
significance. The 6 pieces that were noticeably heavier were evenly
split between ravel and non-ravel. Of the 5 "Debbie Mumm" fabrics, 2
raveled badly and the other 3 not at all.

Suggestion for further study: Thread count may have some relevance,
with
higher count fabrics raveling less. Next time I get a large enough
batch
of FQs, I will attempt another experiment.


--
Anne in CA
"It's not having what you want; it's wanting what you've got." --
Sheryl
Crow
http://home.covad.net/~arudolph/annes.htm


remove NOSPAM to reply