Page:A complete course in dressmaking, (Vol. 1, Introduction) (IA completecoursein01cono).pdf/119

 Most cotton wash fabrics can be pressed successfully without a press cloth, but cottons in woolen finish and woolens must be covered with a damp cloth or the heat of the iron will shine the surface.

Press silks from the wrong side and with an iron only lukewarm. Heat rots silk.

Seams are pressed open more easily if they are dampened; so keep a basin of water and a sponge handy.

Cottons and woolens ought to be well shrunk before they are made up. Wash goods is easily shrunk by soaking in water and hanging in a shady place to dry. It is the slow drying that shrinks it.

Woolens or cottons in woolen finish are treated differently. The best home method is to wrap the fabric in a wet cloth. Duck makes a good shrink cloth. The shrink cloth ought to be about a yard longer than the material.

Lay the fabric on a flat surface, smooth out the wrinkles, dip the shrink cloth in water and cover the fabric with it. Roll shrink cloth and fabric over a board. The thin boards on which bolts of fabric are wrapped are excellent for this purpose.

The fabric must be wrapped in the wet cloth at least twenty-four hours. It is then unrolled, hung up to dry and pressed while it is still damp. Mere sponging with a damp