I finished a nice pair of pants at the end of last year. The only problem is that the fabric seems to hold on to a lot of lint or small fibers. As I remember the fabric was a stretch cotton (woven cotton lycra) with the name gabardine on the bolt. That was one of the fabric suggestions on the pattern so I thought it would work great. The pants are a dark navy and the lint is not so noticeable until one gets out into the sunshine or in a light brighter than what is next to my closet. Urg!
Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe a treatment. I have taken a lint remover to them, but I can’t be doing that to them every time I wear them. I already know that I am avoiding wearing them.
Fabric choice is what keeps me from making more clothes. I want to know that the time I put into a garment will be worth it. Actually that is probably why I like buying used clothes, so one has more of a sense how the fabric wears. How do you choose fabric?
stitchagain
Replies
Static causes lint pickup, have you tried "Static Guard" spray? Are your pants picking up the lint in the dryer?
Thanks for your suggestion. I hang dry my clothes, but I was thinking that I could try some kind of static guard.
>> ... hang dry my clothes, ... <<
Beneficial.
Do you launder the slacks inside out? In a mesh bag? Better yet, Mo, both.
In addition to the static guard, the above might prove helpful to eliminating the lint catching.
Yes inside out.
I have never thought about using a mesh bag.
Another thought came to mind after I posted previously.
Could the agitation may also be the culprit? Might you just hand rotate the slacks in the washer tub until the all are wet. Let them soak for 10 or 15 mins. Allow the water to drain. Rearrange along the outside walls of the tub and then spin just long enough to get out most of the water.
Use of a static guard would still be in order.
Me
I find navy anything is a lint collector. I've had navy cotton pants in a smooth twill, and I've had a fuzzy wool jacket in navy. They both showed lint terribly. It's just the color. Navy is such a dark solid that the lints shows up like spot lights.
I just gave up on solid navy as a color. I'll wear a slight tweed, or very dark denim instead of solid navy, because the little flecks of color in those fabrics help cammoflage the lint.
Other than that, the only thing I can recommend is always carry a sticky lint brush with you when you wear navy.
Berna
Wow. I love this forum.
You are probably right about navy. Thank you for passing on your opinion to me!
I have to put on my dark colored clothes just before I leave my house....I have a Yellow Labrador! No matter how much he gets brushed, it's the same ole song and dance. Couldn't survive without my "lint rollers". But the ones that I like the best are from The Creative Festival in Denver, they are sticky and rubbery and you can rinse them to keep them like new. They work so much better than the "disposable" paper ones or duct tape. It seems that "steaming" clothes helps too, but that might be my imagination...
Lint-catching fabrics are so frustrating! I've started checking the bolt in the store before I buy a plain, dark piece; if it collects lint from surrounding fabrics, it probably will do so from my life, too.I can't use static guard (skin sensitivity) so I use other methods for the lint-catchers in my wardrobe. I wash in a mesh bag in cold water, with other dark clothes, check carefully for stray tissues and notepapers in the pockets, and then tumble dry on low or hang dry to minimize static. Sometimes the lint problem lessens as the fabric gets washed and worn more. Woven cotton lycra probably doesn't need to be ironed, but ironing the right side (which is usually not advisable for natural fibers) can flatten the nap enough to reduce lint catching, too. Avoid wearing these pants with white sweaters or scarves.Sometimes, I lay the garment flat onto the ironing board and use long strips of wide masking tape to peel off the worst of the lint. Occasionally, I just give up and give them away!
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