Lady Diana

So sorry to hear of your allergy....

I clip corners at the selvage, sometimes use pinking rotary blade. Both work fine.

The wrinkling starts in the washer when the fabric is all twisted. Try to straighten out the fabric before putting in the dryer, or the twisted portions stay that way in the dryer, thus setting the wrinkles.

Use vinegar and water spray when ironing to get rid of stubborn wrinkles. Or use Mary Ellen's Best Press...I always try it first.
D in TX

tall2

So sorry to hear that, hope it gets better for you. I always pre-wash my fabric, just a habbit I developed when I was sewing clothing. I use "Magic Sizing" when I iron them. I read some where that the moths are attracted to the starch smell in fabric? But there not attracted to "Magic Sizing". Usually I fold the fabric out of the dryer, when I have time I press it first open (full width) let it rest then press the fold back into the center. No fabic will enter my stash unless it been pre-washed, I'm kinda picky about that. Some times I do mix clothing with them and I also use liquid downy to make them smell so fresh. I did have those dryer balls, that fluff the towles, they didnt last long about 6 months the spines fall off in the dryer....So went back to using bounce only. Hope this helps someone. later
Barbara

steelecg

Sorry to hear about this - I have several friends who have to wash fabrics when they get them home. Good luck

Twilliebee

What a drag. I do prewash, and like Lady Diana I just clip the corners on the diagonal. I would never be devoted enough to stay stitch the edges. Good luck!

catmcclure

When I wash my fabric, I take it out of the washing machine, shake it intil it is fairly straight or lay it out on a table or the top of my freezer and smooth it flat, and then I hang it up on hangers to dry. Might take a little while, depending on your climate, but I live in AZ - it's dry in less than hour if I hang it outside in the summer. I use skirt hangers to dry fat quarters (3 to a hanger) or about a yard of fabric. I use the big plastic hangers to dry lengths of fabric larger than a yard - just fold it in half and slide it onto the hanger.

Drying it hanging tends to flatten out the fabric and it needs very little pressing. Can store it folded without ironing until needed without a lot of lumps.

auntiehenno

Get damp out of dryer. When I wash a fab - cut diagonal snips from each edge - eliminates unraveling

judithb

When I was fabric this is the method use too, except I don't trim with a ruler.

greenbranch

I use Best Press Starch. It does not leave any residue on the fabric and no wrinkles. It is the best stuff I have ever tried.
I get it at Hancocks, but you can probably get it other places too. It will even get out the fold seams. You cannot tell where it was folded after you press with this stuff.
Janie

MaggieLou

If you have a gentle or hand wash cycle on your washer use it instead of the regular cycle. It doesn't spin as fast and helps minimize wrinkles. Also take them out of the dryer when it stops unless you have a wrinkle stop cycle that tumbles the clothes every few minutes for an hour or so.

catrancher

I pink the edges of my fabric rather than zigzag it, and that works fine. Also, I hang mine to dry and use spray starch when I iron it. It comes out nice. I have a bottle of StayFlo (?) starch. I mixed 1 part starch to 3 parts water, and that gives me a good amount of stiffness. Too bad about your allergies. I had that test years ago, and I was allergic to 27 out of 29 substances, especially grass and weeds. I had the shots for three years, and my allergies went away.