One thing you should know, though -- of all the sheets I've worked with (and I've worked with a lot!), these sheets were probably the worst when it came to polyester content. Usually, modern sheets are 100% cotton or 100% polyester, which makes it easy to tell content from the feel. Sheets from the 80s and before are usually 50/50 poly-cotton, which is not great but not bad either. This 1992 Jurassic Park sheet, though, was 70/30 poly-cotton, which meant that after years of wear by some little kid, it was pilling pretty badly.
 |
| I had to play around with the lighting so that you could see the pills, hence the shadowy-ness of the picture. |
Seriously, sewasauruses, is there anything worse than low-quality polyester pillage? And by pillage I don't mean raiding a village and burning it to the ground after making off with the sheep and cattle.
 |
| To clean it up for actual wearing in public, Mr. Cation's opinions notwithstanding, I used this handy little machine. |
 |
| See the blades and all the pills collected in the chamber? |
I got this gadget from the Japanese dollar store (although everything there is actually more than a dollar, since it's imported from Japan), along with a bunch of other sewing goodies (I love that Japanese stores actually have a sewing and crafts section!). My mom had one of these when I was growing up for shaving sweaters with, and I used to love getting to use it. It's just satisfying to see all those little bits come off your clothing and gather up in the inner chamber, you know? Anyway, I figured that there must be other people out there who have pilly
- Leave a comment saying that you're entering the shaving machine giveaway!
- Answer the question: what's the worst fabric you've had to rehab in order to make it wearable? I'm imagining red wine vomit, the smell of thrift stores and moth balls, a black fabric after a white cat's slept on it...
- You should probably be a follower of my blog to enter. I'm not going to check your credentials, but hey, how else will you know if you've won unless you actually read my blog?
 |
| So much better! All those colors look so much better when they're not covered with pills. Speaking of color, though, don't forget to enter the April Stashbusting link party! |
Incidentally, if you didn't get to those vibrant colors this past month, that's okay, because May is here! May is all about using up the knits in your stash...go check out the details of the challenge over on EmSewCrazy's blog. She also posted some of the standouts from the Flickr Stashbusting group, so take a look and see if you're featured!
I'll enter! First and foremost, good luck to your students on AP day! (so many fond--er, not so fond memories...) I recently picked up some clothes for refashions at my college's trade shop, and they smelled...funky. Off. No stains that I've found (yet) but I'm trying to work through that weird I've-lived-in-Goodwill-smell. Not exciting, but not very fun either!
ReplyDeleteI'm entering too! I guess the worst fabric situation was when my cat threw up right in the middle of the yardage (so no cutting off the end)... Or the vintage wool I had to leave out in the sun and wind for a week before the smell was sort of gone.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. This is exactly what I need! I live in London, so we have no Japanese dollar stores :( I have no idea where I'd get one; any UK-based folk know, if I don't win?
ReplyDeleteWorst fabric… I inherited my grandma's stash of yarn and fabric. This is my grandma who smoked sixty a day. The smell was atrocious, but some of the fabric was lovely, so I did the whole wash, wash, wash, put it in a box with cat litter, febreeze the hell out of it treatment. I gave up on the white eyelet that was actually stained yellow with nicotine :/
Hi Kat, here's a UK option – from Lakeland so it's slightly more expensive...
DeleteI haven't had too many fabric disasters, but I did once have all my summer dresses bleed into each other when they got wet in my tent at Glastonbury! Luckily my mum saved the day for me on that one...
As a devoted thrifty shopper, that gadget sounds amazing! I've been pretty lucky in most of my fabrics so far, the worst salvaging I think I've had to do was on a lovely piece of wool plaid I bought at a local fabric re-use store.. only after I started cutting did I realize it had several small holes cut in it, the previous owner's mistake, perhaps? I still managed to get the plaids to match in my skirt, but just barely!
ReplyDeleteI love those gadgets! I have one (got it at Target) so I don't need to enter the contest - let's improve other folks' chances! They are addictive. And once you use them, the slightest little pill on your sweater makes you crazy. Also good on sofas after years of use.
ReplyDeleteI don't have one fabric that comes to mind but I have a constant battle with cat pee! Yes, one of my cats LOVES to pee on fabric piles. But oddly, only in my closet (nice) or in the laundry basket once the clothes are clean. I have gotten in the habit of sniffing my clothes before wearing, I'm so afraid I'll have missed something. so gross!
I definitely remember my mom having one of those! The worst fabric I've had to deal with yet was from an auction. I ended up with 4 or so boxes of fabric from the same estate. Two were cardboard boxes that smelled a little musty but not too bad, but two were rubbermaid containers and woo boy! When I cracked those open it was a terrible mixture of musty, smoky, old-lady smell! I was able to save most of the cotton pieces, but some of the synthetic ones were destined for the garbage, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI once had a party in my house and I have no idea why/when/how but my beautiful green wool got pulled out and consequently got baileys, grease, plum wine, and rock salt on it. And it was folded so the drinks seeped through layers. I got it all out in the end (except for some of the whitish marks from the salt) but it was just so many calamities to happen to one piece of treasured stash.
ReplyDeleteI currently shave the pills off but you have to do it so carefully so I'd love this gadget.
Oh My, I have been looking for this little machine forever! I can't find them here in Brazil :( Answering your question, I have never rehabed a fabric, maybe because I'm still a beginner into the sewing world? Thanks for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteWow!! SUCh an amazing little gadget! I've never seen one of these before! My sweaters would be sooo happy...Definitely count me in! We have a couple of rugs that we bought at the charity shop that came with their own unique brand of dog pee smell... We tried to air them out outside, but that was a no-go. I ended up mixing up a concoction of baking soda and water and spraying them down, several times I believe, there was most likely some cursing involved... Anyway - we got the smell out, and now our dog has branded it for herself! The joys of being a pet-owner...
ReplyDeleteYou know, I don't have one of those! Used them at work but never had my own - so sure, I'm in! Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...worst fabric. Designers pick some of the most difficult things. But I think the worst one was a rotting lace. The designer was determined to use it even though she knew it was falling apart. It was a pain and I'm sure it didn't last through the run of the stage show, but once it leaves the shop, it becomes the wardrobe-crew-working-the-show's problem.
~ Brooke
This sounds so much better than the cheap Bic razors I was told to use growing up to de-fuzz!
ReplyDeleteWorst fabric? Pretty much anything that once lived at my in-laws house. Not that they are hoarders/smokers(anymore)/have a filthy house, MIL just has the worst smelling cleaners that just seep into fabrics. The smell makes me physically sick. The last piece had to be febreezed, washed a couple of times and used multiple dryer sheets when dried and folded. It still smells funky.
That shaving machine seems completely awesome! Count me in for the giveaway. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly new to sewing, so I don't have a fabric rehab story. I have, however, been in a losing battle with getting the smell out of some towels my cat peed on. Vinegar helped somewhat, but it still lingers. I think I may just need to chuck them and buy new towels.
That is the most amazing gadget I have ever seen! I would use it constantly. My sweaters pill terribly, and my favorite t-shirt dress is getting pretty bad...
ReplyDeleteI've actually never had to rehab a fabric, but I did once get several yards of fabric from the Goodwill Bins. Despite a thorough washing, one length of herringbone wool seems to be embedded with tiny bits of grass--perhaps it was once used for a picnic blanket? I made a Macaron out of it and now it pokes me if I don't wear a slip.
Where do I get one of these in case I don't win?? Also, I'm totally in for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteWe have a Japantown here in San Jose! I'm going to see if they have a dollar store. In the meantime, enter me in the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI've been given lots of fabric. Does ugliness count as fabric needing rehab??
Your ugliness comment made me laugh so hard!!! Thanks!
DeleteWoot, I'd love to enter! I'm still pretty new to sewing, so I haven't had any real need to rehab a fabric just yet (luckily). I'm following your blog on Bloglovin!
ReplyDeleteThe worst fabric I had to rehab was a stack of fabrics that my grandmother gifted me with while I was visiting her in Greece during a multi-country trip with my husband 8 years ago. She had all these fabrics from a trip to Paris in the 80s that was a mix of gorgeous and classic wools with the worst of the worst polyester prints. They had been stored for 25+ years with mothballs and my grandfather's unmentionables. I was fortunate that she let me pick 2 pieces that I loved but she also insisted that I take 3 other of the awful poly prints right as we were packing up to leave for Italy. The stink of mothballs was so bad that it infected everything in my suitcase to the point that the desk agent at the hotel in Italy actually asked me if I would need cleaning services while we stayed. I dropped the poly pieces at the local Goodwill immediately but the wool fabrics I kept still hold that scent, even after laundering and being left in the sun to dry, 7 years later. The suitcase I used during that trip also still smells of mothballs. I personally don't ever use mothballs in my home - I stick to cedar strips and lavender sachets.
ReplyDeleteHmm, this makes me wonder what kinds of sewing gadgets they have at Daiso. My worst fabric rehab isn't quite fabric, but I once knit an intricate lace sweater and proudly pinned it out to block.
ReplyDeleteSo of course my cat decided it's pukin' time...
Oh my gosh, I need one of those! I'm totally entering.
ReplyDeleteI've never really bought any gross fabric, but I did buy a mystery yard of patterned cotton in NYC that had some spots that looked like bleach spots. I did my best to arrange the pattern pieces around them so I didn't get any blotches on my blouse. Nothing huge. :)
I need this!!! I sometimes use the el cheap-o razors you get ten in a bag for $2 for de-pilling but it just doesn't work that great, plus I've put a hole in fabric doing it.
ReplyDeleteMy worst wasn't a piece of old worn fabric, rather brand new 100% wool that I made winter coats for my twin daughters, lined with faux fur - they turned out BEAUTIFUL and then pilled and fuzzed up so badly after one wear, they were almost unwearable again. It was heartbreaking. I razored those coats all winter long and as soon as it was warm enough to switch to a light spring trench coat, I had to throw the wool coats in the trash! :o(
I'd enter but I just bought one last week, what an odd coincidence!
ReplyDeleteI want one! My sweaters need it.
ReplyDeleteWorst fabric rehab... smell from old basement. First you shake it all out to get rid of the mouse turds from the last decade. Second hang it on the clothesline on a sunny day/days. Wash and dry with dryer sheets. Fold and store where air can freely circulate. By the time you get it cut, sewn and on your body you don't smell a thing! (wearing perfume on its first outing will guarantee no one else catches a whiff of that old lady fabric smell you may have become immune to during this process)
Wow, that did make a difference!
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of those gadgets so I'm definitely entering! The worst fabric I've ever had to rehab involved cat urine and... something else. I don't know what it was. It came from the cat so maybe vomit? Not sure. It's a mystery but wow, I've never smelled anything that bad, except the cat urine that was also next to it. Apple cider vinegar saved the day thankfully!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I'll have to hunt one down if I don't win (I've got some ponte knit tops that I made out of cheap fabric this fall that have already started to pill, blah). Two fabric disasters: 1) white jersey remnant from Vogue fabrics that had a (known) brown spot in the middle of it. I carefully cut out my pattern pieces around the brown spot and sewed it up only to find that there were also two (unknown) small holes in the fabric that ended up front and center in the finished make. 2) I was finishing a bag for a client when my daughter splattered blueberry smoothie all over it. So glad that oxiclean exists. Thanks for hosting the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI'm entering the shaver giveaway! Wow, I NEED this little gadget for real. I have an acrylic coat that is somehow warmer than my wool coat, which means I wear it more often even though it pills like crazy all winter. I'm kind of embarrassed to be in public in it. This would do the trick!
ReplyDeleteI've lived with a fluffy white cat and two black cats before, who I loved to cuddle, so my light AND dark clothes have had some hairy-nightmare moments. Now I don't live with any cats, but I live with a crazy seamstress (me) who leaves threads and frayed fabric edges everywhere. Usually I lint-roll like crazy each morning, but sometimes I check my reflection halfway through the work day and there's a swirling red thread stuck to my butt. Classy.
Those really work? I had always wondered about them, lol. I have a doll whose face could use a shave, lol, so please consider this an entry. I tend to mess up fabric myself rather than get it messed up. I can't really think of any fabric that I've had to rehab.
ReplyDeleteWow I could do with one of those gadgets. I bought my BF a gorgeous Hugo Boss coat and he's somehow managed to rub the sleeves so bad it's started to pill. I thought it's be impossible given the supposed high quality of the fabric, but apparently not!
ReplyDeleteWorst fabric rehab? Linen from an old old warehouse - still haven't quite got rid of the mildew smell...