How do I make my own crinkled fabric?
shyde
| Posted in General Discussion on
Can anyone tell me how to make permanently pleated or permanently crinkled fabrics? I am seeing more and more garments made of fabrics like this (like the wonderful Babette line) but would rather make than buy them. In lieu of instructions on how to make my own, does anyone have a good fabric source for the deeply crinkled or pleated washable silks? Thanks so much for any help. I’m new to this forum and excited to get in on the sharing!
Replies
The only fabric that will permanently wrinkle is polyester. You have to add heat and pressure to make it wrinkle. I take a yard, wad it into a ball and secure it with rubber bands. Then I boil in water on the stove for about 5 minutes. Put the ball in the dryer or let air dry.
You can then cut out your pattern by smoothing out the fabric with your hands, but you will need to use a simple style like a kimono or tank top.
This same technique can be used for silk, but when you wash the garment, the wrinkles will fall out unless you wad it up again and wait for it to dry.
This technique is similar to what is used to make Shibori. A good source for make shibori in Ana Lisa Hedstrom and Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada. http://www.curledup.com/memory.htm
Thank you SO much. I just ordered a book on Shibori from Amazon. If it doesn't have the info I need, I will absolutely order the fabulous book you recommended. Thank you, thank you.
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