Acetate -- fabric care?

Dry clean only. Keep nail polish/acetone away, as they will destroy acetate fibres

Normally, I'd be right there with ya, Candide. Acetate is almost always marked as dry clean only. However, I got real brave here a couple weeks back. Found some really striking acetate brocade; black with silver Asian style dragons all over it. (At Wal-Mart BTW. About $4 per yard. 58" wide.) Thought "oh that would make an amazing robe for my DD!!!" But I knew there was no way I was going to have her bathrobe (gonna line with black polar fleece) dry cleaned. So I looked at the price, figured it would not KILL me if I ruined the fabric. Toted it home and tossed it in the wash on cold. Then tossed it in the dryer on "permanent press." Came out Gorgeous. Well. Wrinkled like crazy till I pressed it, but I just expect that when I launder fabric. No shrinking what-so-ever, which really surprised me. I bought some extra just in case it shrank like crazy. The only major change was it is much softer now. It will still press in a very crisp crease (I tried to make one and sure enough!) It's not so much that it changed the way the stuff will drape; I still don't think it will have much drape to it at all. However, it is tons softer to the touch, which is a very good thing!

Just thought I would let y'all know about that. I wouldn't recommend that kind of treatment for All types of acetate. An acetate crepe, I think I would dry clean. But for this, it was worth the experiment, and it all worked out just fine. :)

Sharon

Dear Sharon,

I'm glad you had success with your acetate brocade satin. Slinky, on the other hand, is a very different animal. It will distort and shrink. The wrinkles are next to impossible to get out. And the seams will become distorted as well. My students were given hundreds of yards of designer fabrics from a Chicago designer back in the early nineties, when slinky fabric was not available to home sewers. We were very disappointed in the care requirements. There are slinky fabrics available now that don't have these problems, but acetate is not among them.

Teri

Well butter my behind and call me a biscuit! One learns something new everyday! Thanks for sharing.

Candide

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!! Oooooooooohh!! That's a good one!!! :)

I was pretty amazed at how the fabric turned out post wash myself. Like I said, it was a cheap enough experiment I wouldn't have been distraught if it ruined it. I'll get pics when the robe is finished so you can see it. :)

Sharon