If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
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 remove NOSPAM to reply |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
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 remove NOSPAM to reply |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
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 remove NOSPAM to reply |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
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." |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
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 |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
DMC vs. Anchor experiment | Laury Walkey | Needlework | 17 | March 13th 04 01:24 AM |
Hi, all! (long) | Susanne | Quilting | 6 | August 21st 03 01:04 PM |
Long. Sewing blocks to each other | Polly Esther | Quilting | 12 | July 22nd 03 05:06 PM |