PSA: I ruined my favorite shirt using a heat press in my garage

I was at a craft fair in Austin last weekend and a vendor told me her trick for pressing designs on delicate fabric. She said to use a Teflon sheet and lower the temp by 30 degrees, so I tried it on a silk blouse from the thrift store. Has anyone else had luck with heat press settings for tricky materials like silk or rayon?

2 comments

2 Comments

paulc938d ago

Yo I used to think you could just crank the heat and hope for the best with delicate fabrics, but I totally changed my mind after ruining a vintage rayon button-up. I tried a Teflon sheet with 30 degrees less and it actually saved the material from scorching, though the design came out a little faded still. Silk is even trickier since it can get shiny spots if you don't pre-press it right, so I'd test a hidden corner first.

olivias888d ago

Oh my goodness you are so right. I had a very similar experience with a silk blouse I got at a thrift store years ago. @paulc93 I thought I knew what I was doing but I didn't use a press cloth and ended up with these awful shiny patches right on the collar. Ruined it completely. Now I always test a seam or the inside hem first before I even think about touching the main fabric. The Teflon sheet tip is gold though I use one for rayon too and it really does keep the heat from being too direct. Still it's frustrating how much trial and error you have to go through just to keep one nice shirt from getting wrecked.