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Member since 6/1/06
Posts: 17
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Posted on: 9/27/09 12:29 PM ET
I've made a slightly gored skirt from peau. It fits fine (thanks to a lot of lurking on the fitting woes message board), but now I really regret my choice of fabric. The peau du soie allows the gores to stand out too stiffly, dipping in only at the seams. Can anyone suggest a way to soften this fabric, now that the garment is made up?

Also, I will be making what was supposed to be a blouse, but now will be more of a jacket, thanks to the body of the peau. If I could soften that fabric also (already cut out), I think the design would be more pleasing.

Thanks, Susan
  
Member since 4/15/07
Posts: 175
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Posted on: 9/27/09 12:51 PM ET
In reply to susnyk
Is it a polyester, which really should be called "peau de poly" or silk peau de soie? If silk, this might work, take a square of left over fabric - cut it as a square - trace the square on a piece of paper - so you can test shrinkage - and try washing and drying it in the machine. Peau de soie is body by nature, so it may still be it may still be stiffer than your vision, but it might soften up enough, and not shrink too much to work for your application.
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Susanne
Fine Fabrics of Santa Barbara
FineFabrics.com
MsFineFabrics.blogspot.com
  
Member since 6/1/06
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Posted on: 9/27/09 2:52 PM ET
In reply to Fine Fabrics
Thanks, Suzanne, for your reply. I paid $11.00 a yard for this fabric, so I imagine that means it is polyester. What do you think would happen if I were to wash it? And dry it?
  
Member since 12/3/05
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Posted on: 9/27/09 3:07 PM ET
In reply to susnyk
If you have any fabric left over, wash and dry a small sample of that fabric and see what happens. Also you might try crumpling a sample into a ball.
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No sewing project is ever a complete success nor a total failure.
  
Member since 12/28/04
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Posted on: 9/27/09 8:52 PM ET
In reply to susnyk
It is what it is. This is why it is so important to understand the nature of different fabrics and what is acceptable as a substitute.
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www.nancyksews.blogspot.com
  
Member since 4/15/07
Posts: 175
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Posted on: 9/27/09 9:01 PM ET
In reply to susnyk
Yeah... unless a real special buy, and $11.00 per yard is still a good price for peau de poly, but I don't think it will change characteristics much if washed. It can't hurt to give a try using a swatch as suggested above. Some of the stiffness could be from sizing, and if you wash this out, it may soften up a bit. Body is in the nature of "peau de... whatever".
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Susanne
Fine Fabrics of Santa Barbara
FineFabrics.com
MsFineFabrics.blogspot.com
  
Member since 6/1/06
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Posted on: 10/4/09 12:01 PM ET
Thanks for your comments. Just to follow up, for anyone else with this question, I did wash and dry first a swatch, later the whole garment. The fabric shrank VERY slightly, not enough to make a difference, it became very slightly more shiny (I would have thought it would dull), but the issue is that it did not soften the seams enough to make a difference. I guess peau du soie just does not want to be drapey, end of story!
  
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