Tidying Up Textiles

I admit, I'm one of those annoying extra-tidy people. Like Felix Unger from The Odd Couple, I love housework, laundry and washing dishes. There's something so satisfying in making things clean.

You wouldn't think I'd be this way, given my love of vintage and thrifting, but being a Felix actually helps me evaluate what I thrift as to condition. I can handle a little soiling, as long as it's something I can tidy up. When it comes to vintage textiles, that means a lot of hand-washing.

I picked up these two pieces of feedsack at The Coop, and once I handwashed them in cold water with a little detergent and some color grabber cloths (these are a good idea when laundering anything old with red dye) I hung them up in the guest bath to dry.

Vintage textiles (especially scraps) also often come with unwanted debris, like snipped or fraying threads. For a meditative evening I'll sit down with a few piles like these and remove all that stuff before I handwash them.

It can pile up, too. Here's what I removed from those scraps.

When evaluating vintage textiles for cleaning, first consider the type of fiber. Old wool, for example, is something I never buy because it's very difficult to clean without creating shrinkage or accidentally felting it. Synthetic fabric can become brittle over time, as all plastics do with age, so you're rolling the dice with even hand-washing these. Old cotton rots and can fall apart during laundering; that's happened to me twice ((if the fabric is very stiff and soiled, that's not a good sign.) If you're going to make something that will be regular laundered, then you should probably stick with newer fabrics.

It desn't take a lot of investment to launder these old beauties. My hand-washing basin is one I bought at the dollar store. I use regular detergent to wash things. I always hang textiles to dry on hangers or shower curtain rods. As always, anything in which you have considerable emotional or financial investment should be taken to an experienced textile conservationist or a cleaner with vintage textile experience in order to preserve its condition and value.