How can a garment be given a crushed look when the fabric itself is not crushed in its structure & knit.?

Question

a normal cotton-polyester or polyester fabric based garment is to be given a crushed look. plz advise if it can be done with any heat procedure or any kind of washing. the garment shall not end up with any puckering or washed garment look becuz we need to give it a elegant look & not a rough look.

shall be garment itself be processed or the fabric before garmenting will be processed.

Answer 1

Here is a technique:

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This crushing technique is permanent....  at least half permanent and can be refreshed after washing.

There are two types of crushing

down the length of the dress,  sometimes know as broomstick pleating (one way)

wild/random pleating, like we see in Arwen's Arch dress (multiple directions)

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Material's List:

Silk (of course);

lots of fabric

if you do a length crush then you will need three times the material as for a normal dress. It should already be dyed in the color desired.

Any silk or wool can be crushed; as long as it is thin enough. This also works on silk velvet.

It DOES NOT WORK on any acrylic-, poly- or whatever fabric; you NEED silk or wool, as these materials are protein fibers (just as hair).

DON'T try this on non-natural fibers - they might burn in the microwave!!!

Hair perm fluid:

No foam or what is in Germany called a "sour" perm (meaning alcalic perm), but just a basic perm with two little bottles of fluid for a strong perm.

For each four yards of 8mm Habotai silk I use one packet of perm.

This means for the orange Mist of Avalon gown I made I used three packets.  

For Arwen's Arch dress I used two and a half perm packets.

a bathroom with a bathtub or a shower; well aired;

a microwave oven,

You can substitute the microwave with hanging the twisted fabric over boiling water (in a non metal net or something; just as steam fixing is done with silk coloring.)

large microwave safe bowl

microwave safe cover or plastic

two long handled spoons/sticks

something that will not be used as eating utensils again

these are need to move the fabric around when it is scorching hot

gentle silk washing detergent

a baking oven

a hot radiator - steam, not electric

substitution...

old fashion hair dryer (the bonnet kind)

a clothing line and a Sunny day or two

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Length Fabric Crush

1) wash the silk.

2) Form a long, twisted "sausage" that will twist up in itself when picked up. The stronger the twisting, the better; but keep in mind that the twisted fabric must still be able to take some fluid; so it must not be too strong. You can tie the ends with a thread so that the twisting will not open.

3) Read the instruction of the hair perm fluid!

4) Lay the sausage down in the bathtub (or the shower) and use the first fluid of the perm on it. Soak the fabric (still twisted!) with it.

5) While working with the microwave and baking oven, the windows should be OPENED WIDE! You will need to keep the air circulating in this room to get fresh air!

Put this twisted "sausage" in a big plastic bowl that is suitable for microwave ovens; cover it with plastic foil (also suitable for microwaves) (NO ALUMINUM FOIL!) and put it into the microwave. At about 400-500 Watts, it should stay there for the time that was given in the instruction for the perm for the fluid one (usually, 30-40 minutes). After half of the time, you might turn over the twisted fabric carefully (be really careful, it is HOT! Use two spoons or something like that to do this).

6) wash the fluid one out; still leaving the fabric twisted. Instructions of the hair perm will tell you how.

7) Apply about 3/4 of the amount of fluid of bottle no. 2 (instructions should tell you this; at least on my hair perm that I am always using for the fabrics). Fabric has to remain twisted.

8) Put it back in the bowl, re-cover it with the lid/wrap, put it back to the microwave for the time that fluid 2 needs, at the same heat that fluid 1 used.

Remember the open windows, doors etc. whatever you have to get air in the room!

9) put the fabric (remembering that is is very hot) back into the bathtub/shower, let it cool for a while.  Open the twisting gently, but don't pull the fabric apart.   Just loose the twisting so that you have the fabric winded about 4 times per yard!  

Apply the rest of fluid 2.

10) Carefully move the fabric back to the bowl.  Cover it.  Microwave for about 10 minutes.

11) Let the fabric cool.  Wash it out without pulling it apart. Use a gentle silk washing detergent.

12) twist the silk again (about 10 times per yard; depending on the fabric; tight enough that it will twist again when picked up; but not as tight that it will not be able to dry).

13) put it into the baking oven for about 2 hours at 50-75°C.

14) take it out, leave it twisted and dry it on the radiator (takes 1-2 days; depending on the amount, the twisting and the type of fabric).

The Radiator needs to be a Gas, not electric radiator else it will burn.

Substitution

An old fashion bonnet style hair dryer

try to hang the twisted fabric outside (no direct sun; but a well aired place) to let it dry. It needs to be a warm place, where the moisture can escape from (and it cannot escape from a baking oven).

Note: we're looking for another substitution... and would recommend suggestions from the folks that have done this.

There is a question, for which we don't have an answer yet that this final drying step might be done the same way that the "broomstick" skirts are done.... that is keeping the fabric twisted and jamming the twists into a stocking then putting them in the dryer at low heat for an hour... might do the same to let it dry.  However, that may be too much stress right after the the "perm".  Anyone have experience here?

Answer 2

Wet the garment and crush it or scrunch it and let it dry. Rayon Broomstick dresses were treated this way--wet the dress, hold the hem in one hand and the shoulders in the other, and twist twist twist as if wringing a towel. Once the entire dress is twisted, air dry and then untwist for an elegant random pleated result.