Thread: care of chiffon skirt

I bought a green chiffon skirt and veil (Ravenna Designs-love em') and was wondering if I could put them in my front loader on gentle cycle?

Also, what's the best drying method so it doesn't wrinkle? I assume just hand to dry. Thanks

I put my hand made chiffon items in a zippered mesh lingerie bag.
My machine is also a front loader, and I use the gentle cycle.

Please DO NOT USE any fabric softner, or sheets!!! It will cause oily looking stains on the fabric.

If at all possible, I would dry the items laying flat.

:-)

My stuff, I just wash and dry with no problem, but they are just poly chiffon. Without knowing for sure what your items are made of, I wouldn't want to say.
Email Ravena! She won't steer you wrong!


-that is good to know about the dryer sheets. I have some stains on some skirts that mysteriously appeared. Now I know why.

Hello - thanks for the compliment ;-)

With my skirts, I hand wash. I usually only spot clean - if there is a spot - or hand wash only the waist band - because it gets icky due to sweat.

If you have to do a full cleaning - I suggest either the method Gothique mentioned with the mesh bag or fill up a bucket or sink and swish them around. Be very gentle when the skirt is wet, any kind of lifting will pull the chiffon which causes unevenness.

Also - as Gothique says - lay flat to dry.

I have found that hanging these skirts causes the fabric to pull and look uneven at the hem. I think that is true with most chiffon skirts.

When I used to make my own skirts - many moons ago - I used to let them hang in my spare bedroom for several weeks before I hemmed the bottom. This allowed the chiffon to pull and settle.

As I have discovered, manufacturers do not have the time, $, and resources to do this. I completely understand!

Sorry - little chiffon rant ;-)

Oh thanks Ravena. I am glad you addressed the "sweat" factor on the waistband. That's what prompted me to start the thread. The rest of the skirt is fine, but I will just wash the waistband. Didn't know about laying flat to dry either. I don't really have a surface large enough for that (tables are made of wood)

And thanks Gothique for the dryer sheet tip. I put sheets in everything so I would have probably ruined that skirt.

You probably have a surface to allow the skirt to dry without thinking about it. Place large sheets of plastic (dollar store plastic table cloths work well or even plastic garbage bags), over you bed. Cover with towels and place the skirts on top. Chiffon dries rather quickly. I also use the plastic table cloths for patterns I frequently utilize. Much more durable than tissue paper. I use a sharpie for notes, written directly on the plastic. I store them in plastic zip top bags. If the pattern is an off-take of a paper pattern I enclose that in the zip top bag as well. I usually buy a dozen or so plastic table cloths at a time.

I hand wash in the sink using Woolite. Rinse well with cold water. gently wring out. If I have a flat space where the cat's won't get it, I will use that. If not, I drape the skirts over the door of the shower, which is covered with towels. I make sure I move the skirt frequently so that there is less time for it to stretch in any one direction.

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

I hand wash in the sink using Woolite. Rinse well with cold water. gently wring out. If I have a flat space where the cat's won't get it, I will use that. If not, I drape the skirts over the door of the shower, which is covered with towels. I make sure I move the skirt frequently so that there is less time for it to stretch in any one direction.

{{{HUGS}}}

Ah! this willl work. I have 3 cats who appear out of nowhere anytime I am doing something like this. Why do cats feel the need to sit/lie right in the middle of what you're doing? But how can I blame these guys?

Ah, so cute! The bottom one looks like my cat, Emerson!

what is really fun is when I washed a bedlah with fringe. My Bermese, Ka-ge Necco (Shadow Cat in Japanese) is a climber. He took off after that fringe like no ones business!

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by txchic

You probably have a surface to allow the skirt to dry without thinking about it. Place large sheets of plastic (dollar store plastic table cloths work well or even plastic garbage bags), over you bed. Cover with towels and place the skirts on top. Chiffon dries rather quickly.

This is a great suggestion! I usually do all the "washing" in the late spring/early summer so it can "air dry" on picnic tables. Though - chiffon dries fast so this is a great suggestion for indoors ;-)