...ooh, yes, this is one of our obsessions!

...we're *huge* fans of laundering the living daylights out of almost all of our fabrics *before* we even think about cutting into it...

...you need to pre-treat your fabrics (which means wash and dry or dryclean) *exactly* as the finished garnment will be treated, and you need to do this at least 2 or 3 times with each piece of fabric...

...this means that:

a) you'll see if your fabric shrinks, and if so, by how much;
b) you'll see if the color bleeds, fades or otherwise changes;
c) you'll see if the grain or selvedge distorts;
d) you'll see if the texture, drape or weight of the fabric changes

...pre-treating your fabrics means that you minimise the risks of having your beautiful new silk jersey top shrink in a hot dryer, or your lovely deep blue dress coming out of the laundry looking horribly faded, or your super-glam sequined vest return from the dry-cleaners in a melted mush...

...so it's a really good idea to decide exactly *how* you'll be caring for your finished garment at the planning stage; once you know how you plan to care for your garment, you'll need to clean a test piece: here's how we like to do it...

...cut a 12" square from your fabric; this is your comparison piece...

...now cut another 12" square for every washing method you may use on this garment-so, for instance, you may cut two more 12" squares, one to hand wash and air dry, the other to machine launder and tumble dry...

...before you 'process' your test squares, run a line of machine stitching around all 4 edges of each square, about 1/2" in from the cut edge-this will stop it fraying too much...don't, what ever you do, use your serger or overlocker to trim the edges of the squares, as you're likely to triom off a little too much from your squares, therefore giving a distored result...

...now you're ready to process your fabric! just wash and dry your square(s), or send them to the drycleaners if that's what you plan to do; try to process them 3 times, because that gives a 'truer' reading than just 1 single cleaning process...

...et voila! compare your laundered squares with the original comparison piece, and see any differences between the original square and the processed ones...

...once you've done this, you need to ask yourself this...

Q: did my fabric change in any way?

A1: no, my fabric stayed exactly the same...
...well, off you go! pre-treat your fabric using your chosen method, then you can go ahead and make your garment, and know that it will stay exactly as you made it...fabulous!

OR

A2: yes, my fabric changed in some way, but I like it! I think it will still be OK for my chosen style...
...great, pre-treat your fabric using your chosen cleaning method, then go make something gorgeous! you can go ahead and make your garment, and know that your fabric has done all its' shrinking/fading/crinkling already-so it will stay exactly as you made it...also, fabulous!

OR

A3: yes, my fabric changed in some way, and I don't like the end result!
...don't be sad, this happens more than you can imagine...you can try processing another square using a different cleaning method, or you can use the fabric for a different, more suitable project, or, in extremis, you can 'Tim Gunn' it..."Make It Work"!