Banner Sponsors

Eileen Jul 10, 2005

Can all you experts out there give me some advice on the effects of washing on mohair? :/

I'm wondering whether washing softens the pile, or changes the finish, or shrinks the backing or what?

When you wash a piece, do you overcase the edges first to prevent fraying?

Hot or cold?

What kind of detergent or soap do you use? Fabric softener? Hair conditioner?

Thanks :D

Eileen

Daphne Jul 10, 2005

The owner of Edinburgh Imports suggested I use a touch of woolite in cold water on the delicate setting of my washer (or by hand) to cleanse, deodorize and soften the mohair. It worked fabulously!!! The mohair becomes nice and fluffy soft.... the backing softens a bit and it makes a mess if you don't overcase the edges!! I did not find that it shrunk at all. I let it air dry most of the way, then put it through the cool cycle in my dryer for about 10 minutes. A quick brusing after that and my mohair was transformed!!

Hope this helps!

Daphne

Eileen Jul 10, 2005

Thanks, Daphne :D

This helps a lot! I don't like the stiffness of "new" mohair. It feels sized or something. I'll be sure to overcast, though I wish I didn't have to . . . . . . lazy :rolleyes:

Eileen

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 10, 2005

Mainly, I think the coating that the mills put on the fabric backing is to help keep fraying to a minimum.  When it's washed, that backing is removed and it tends to fray more.  My experience in dyeing string mohair is that the finish does change somewhat . . . depending on how much "agitation" you put it through.  Heat will definitely cause some sort of change.  Also, there is less shrinkage if the mohair is allowed to air dry rather than mechanically dried.  If I'm going to wet mohair, I always do the processing before I cut out the pattern so I won't get any surprises (like a smaller bear :o) if I just wash the pattern pieces.  Hugs,

Eileen Jul 10, 2005

Thanks, Sue Ann :D

Do you need hot water to open up the string mohair?

Eileen

NancyAndFriends Jul 10, 2005

Hi Eileen,
I washed some expensive mohair because... when I rec'd it, it did not look like what I thought it would and I really didn't like it very much.  So I decided to put it to the test since I knew I wouldn't use it anyway. 
I did whip stitch the edges and just threw it in the washer with the rest of my laundry.  I usually wash with warm water and cold rinse.  Then I threw it in the dryer.  Oh, and I always put fabric softener in my wash load. With that said...after it was dry...it came out quite fluffy and the backing was a bit too 'stretchy' (for the lack of a better word)...but I have since dyed it. I am really getting my moneys worth out of this fat quarter. ;).  I have boiled it in cushing dye and they I saw this program on dyeing silk...so I tried spraying it with vinegar after a quick dip in the dye and threw some sea salt on that.  What fun.  It is amazing what it looks like now.  Well, I do have to add that I cut it into some small pieces so I could experiment on it.  I felt like Sid on Toy Story, for those of you have grandbabies and are familiar with the movie. :D
In summation...I don't know, Eileen if the fabric softener made it too soft or if the washing alone did it...but the backing was too soft for my taste . 
I think I would have to say that I prefer Nancy Tillbergs idea of lightly wetting the mohair and then I use a brass brush and brush it til it gets the look I want.
These are just notes from...{{{{{ MY LABORATORY}}}}}

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 10, 2005

Yes, I do use hot water because I'm usually dyeing the string with RIT dye!

Eileen Jul 10, 2005

Thanks, Nancy and Sue Ann, :D

Thanks to you both, I'm now  going to proceed with confidence :cool:

Yikes, Nancy, that poor piece of mohair has certainly earned its keep!

I guess if you like the fur side but the back's still too stretchy, you could line it with muslin as you do with real fur.

Speaking of which, I discovered that I don't have to spend time carefully marking and then cutting out each muslin piece separately if I glue-stick the fur pieces to a large piece of muslin first, then cut around them.  Duh.

You don't need grandbabies to love Toy Story!!

Got to go and teach a sweet Korean girl the difference between gerunds and infinitives before her test tomorrow . . . when the going gets rough, I just tell myself that I'm earning myself another fat quarter! I might have to start keeping a little swatch in my pocket for 'inspiration'.

Eileen

Daphne Jul 10, 2005

I didn't find the backing to have TOO much softness or give to it at all but then, I used cold water, air dryed most of the way and only used cool air in the dryer for a few minutes. All the hots (water & air) may soften the backing even more as might fabric softener.

Daphne

NancyAndFriends Jul 10, 2005

You are probably right Daphne...I just wanted to see what it could take, so I treated it just like everything else.  I think what really did it in was the dryer heat and the fabric softener.
I do like to experiment on things so it was fun to see what happened and I learned from it....'don't do this on a good piece of fabric!! ' ;)
You know Eileen...somewhere I picked up another interesting little piece of information, sort of like your gluing the muslin on (which is brilliant by the way).  I sew an awful lot of miniatures and on the really tiny little guys (actually could be done on larger ones too) say 1 to 3 inch range...I cut a small square of the paw pad material out and sew it to the inner arm.  Then I sew the arm as usual and use the outer arm as a guide as I sew around the paw pad.  When it is all sewn, I simply cut the pad material out along the shape of the outer arm and it is a perfect fit.  It works great everytime.  This is done instead of cutting out the tiny paw pad and trying to make it all line up.
Nanc.........

Eileen Jul 11, 2005

Nancy, that idea is Megasuperexpialadosius Brilliant. :D

I've already mutilated a fair number of tiny arms doing it the hard way!! To keep myself from screaming, I chalk them up to "education".  :(

Eileen

Eileen Jul 11, 2005

Wait a minute here . . .  :/

One to three inches is "larger". Yoiks. What's "tiny"?

Eileen

Dilu Jul 11, 2005

Eileen

I am absolutely brutal to my mohair.....I figure if it is a hot house flower it doesn't belong here....only room for one hot house flower in this house....ME :lol::lol::lol:

I have taken sparse that I got on sale and washed in hot and dried in hot and got it shrunk up to nice fluff. 

I also add hair conditioner to the final rinse....It makes the smaller bits and pieces  easier to turn....especially the small bears that I tend to make...

No, I use whatever hair conditioner is on sale....nothing special.

Since I never buy mohair that isn't on sale, I figure I can play around.  I saw some yesterday on the other site in So. Cal, the one that starts with E

black 3" mohair.....OH what glorious golly hair it would make....3 inch....but  $308.00 full price and the sale....not so good....but 3inch golly hair...sigh

I'm kind of like Nancy....what would happen if......:rolleyes:

Also since I never know what I am going to do with the mohair...well except the dedicated golly hair...(3"!) I can adapt patterns for what it seems the fabric will do.

3" ! Maybe  when things get quiet around here I can drop some hints.....

I love playing with dyes and colors and even the koolade colors.  So if I have a piece that is going to be abused that way I then I give it a rinse in hair conditioner afterwards.

I also use hair conditioner if I shrink up a sweater a wee bit too much...pull it and stretch it and let it dry....it really helps.

OK

I blather on too much

probably because I can not get over that  3"  mohair. :/

sigh 3" sigh

Daphne Jul 11, 2005

Megasuperexpialadosius

Eileen - WOW!! What a word!!! I love it!

Dilu - 3" Mohair is what I used on the wheaten terrier I made. It was a beast to work with as the dog wasn't THAT big. Tucking, pinning and turning were a CHORE but the end result - Megasuperexpialadosius! :lol::lol: What super golly hair it would make! You wouldn't need a whole lot would you? I think you can get 1/8 yard cuts from Edinburgh.

(Why oh WHY are you all so shy about saying the E word here????:/ Either Shelli or Aue Ann told us in the very begining it's OK!!! The point of this board is to help eachother in what ever way we can, offer advice and suggestions, tip, sources, etc. Intercal has a wonderful selection of mohair, etc. but they don't have everything so there will certainly be other sources for bear making supplies that we're going to share with eachother. I'd like to think that in the bear world even the suppliers can co-exist just as us bear makers do. And we're such a wonderful, loving, helpful bunch of nuts!!!:))

OK, I've said my peas......

((((((Hugs)))))))
Daphne

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 11, 2005

You certainly and absolutely can say "Edinburgh" on this board.  I got that bit of info straight from the horse's mouth . . . ummm . . . Intercal's mouth . . . whatever! 

Daphne Jul 11, 2005

THANK YOU, SUE ANN!! :D:D

Winney Jul 11, 2005

Geat tips you all . Dilu, $300. a yd..YIKES! I think for Golly hair I'd use some mohair roving or mohair yarn, it would work and sure be cheaper.Have you ever tried using black rabbit fur or black sherpa ( both on the skin )?....Winney

Eileen Jul 11, 2005

This is all great information :D

I guess I'm still a bit afraid of my mohair. Afraid of ruining it, that is. You're right Dilu. If it can't stand a little torture, it's not going to last 100 years or so on a bear, much less survive turning and stuffing and all that. I'll be braver  from now on. 

I've got to buy the mohair on sale because I pay 15% tax plus a $5 handling fee when it arrives :mad:
I got busted the other day when my hubby met the postman at the door, but once I opened the box and started playing with my new stash, I didn't care . . . blissed out.

I've also stretched sweaters using hair conditioner--I found this tip by a websearch when I bought my son-in-law sweaters for Christmas that were too short in the body and arms. I used very warm water, and it worked like magic.

Rather than buying $300/yd mohair for a small piece, I'd be tempted to follow Winney's advice, and use fur on skin or needlefelt some roving. It ought to be possible to needlefelt yarn and then comb out the plies, right? Or you could embroider turkey stitch on the head, cut the loops and brush it out.

I've got a bag of silver mohair fleece and one of black/grey/brown Lincoln Locks that I couldn't resist because they were so beautiful. I haven't quite figured out where I want to use them yet, but I will . . .heck, I've got a small collection of birds' nests in frames, so why not fleece?

Eileen

kbonsall Jul 11, 2005

What is "turkey stitch"??? GOBBLE GOBBLE???

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 11, 2005

Dilu et al, I found this auction on eBay.  For less than $12 you can get some very long mongolian lamb for those golly heads.  Check it out, if you're quick enough to grab it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … eName=WDVW

Winney Jul 11, 2005

I wonder if that stretching tip would work on wool sweaters ? Cool water and softner , don't rinse with clear water yet ...then pull the yarn out to unravel the sweater stitches.  Has anyone tried this ? My goal is to re-use the wool for golly hair or  knit teddy a sweater or needlefelt...what ever.......Winney

Eileen Jul 11, 2005

Kim-Bee,

Turkey Stitch, or Turkey Work is an old embroidery stitch. You alternate 'locking stitches' (flat) with loops (loopy). When you're done, you can clip the loops and brush the floss/wool out to make fur. Here's a link with a diagram:

http://webstitch.designwest.com/stitch02.html#turkey1

I've been considering, sometime soon, of 'furring' a naked bear with turkey stitch. That's about as far as I've gone.

Winney, I think I'd unravel the sweater first  wind it into a hank, and then soak the yarn in fabric softener. Plain water might also do the trick, but the softener might help. Once it's dried, the yarn ought to have lost its kink. As a matter of fact, I just might recycle a few sweaters that way. I have a bad habit of catching sweaters on door handles . . . :/

Eileen

Eileen Jul 11, 2005

I forgot to say that the stretching tip is designed for wool sweaters. I don't know if it would work at all on synthetics.

Eileen

Dilu Jul 11, 2005

Yeah Winney- I use it alot on my wool and angora sweaters.....I figure, (who can understand my logic) if it works for relaxing my hair, and making it smell good why won't it work on Lamb Chop?

(Also my theory behind how I treat mohair.)  Hey but the closet I store it all in smells great!

Eileen, I laughed so hard....honey.....busted.....yep!  been there and had to tap dance a wee bit with my explanation.

I try really really really hard to be good.  But it is soooo hard!

I mean. so you get a color you don't have, well....don't you need the thread and who knows what size you'll make so shouldn't you have a wide variety of eyes, and what about nose floss, and felt well....It would be like buying a special occassion dress without the shoes and panty hose, and

well  I think we all understand your situation......

and you are right...sitting on the floor surrounded with all that exciting stuff.....better than Christmas because its stuff you really needwant!

Hugs guys gotta go honey came in with a box from Wisconsin.....can hardly wait!!!

Dilu

NancyAndFriends Jul 12, 2005

Eileen...I just finished my largest yorkie yet and used the 308.00 a yard mohair you were talking about.  It IS beautiful and gets a little (pardon the pun) hairy to work with, but wow what a yorkie.  Now watch it will sell for my opening bid.  Ebay...who can figure it out.
I did dye it tho...mainly because I didn't want to buy two different colors (too expensive), so I made one color work by dying it.
I used Cushings Acid dye, bought here at Intercal and I have to say, it is the best dye I have used to date.  I usually don't have black take too well but this is BLACK !!!   I was a bit nervous about trying something new on such expensive fabric and it had to be boiled as well.  But the fabric came out beautiful and the dye was wonderful.
Two products to the test !!!
nanc...
P.S.  I did try to buy this fabric at Intercal but Johanna emailed me back and said they didn't carry it...had to get it at Edinburgh, which was fine but I was already placing an order with Intercal and hoped to get everything at one place.  Hope they can carry it soon as well.