felting wool help for covers

[kimkim]

i'm going to try to make some of katrina's soakers and bought some 100% wool sweaters at goodwill.
1. how vital is it to cut all the seams/pockets/ribbings off before washing?
2. do i wash it in hot wash/cold rinse or warm/warm?
3. once it's washed and dried, does it become machine washable since it is already felted, or will it shrink more every time i wash it?
i'm very excited to do this but am wary of the process...

i just washed them hot/cold and they look the same, but maybe they were already felted since they were second hand? should i worry?

[mntnmom]

I've had good luck just throwing the whole sweater in. I like to make my soaker a little big, so I can felt it again after it's finished. It will keep felting, so you have to handwash it. I use some nice soap with lanolin, specially for diaper wool.
I would try the sweater again to be sure, but it might be superwash. That means it's treated so it won't felt. You could use it for baby hats and cardigans, but it won't work for a diaper cover.

[kimkim]

will it keep felting away to nothing?
i hate handwashing...
they were just thrift store 100% wool, some merino some lambswool some just "wool"
will it be bad to just wash them all the time? my DH won't support handwashing either....

[jrabbit]

I wash my thrift store sweaters on hot, dry on high - sometimes, I'll run them through two times. I've found that cheap merino doesn't shrink much. I am experimenting with them still, but my plan is to add a layer of better wool on the inside of the thinner wools, in the wet zone.

And, *after* they are made, I lanolize them. I've washed the finished longies, as needed, in the washer, and re-lanolize afterward. (because during the winter, Zoe was living in them, playing outside, etc) I haven't had any problems at all. (they do not continue to felt or shrink)

Sometimes recycled wool does need a second lanolizing treatment to really keep them waterproof. I use a mixture of lansinoh & eucalan in hot hot water, soak in the sink at least 12 hours (I'm lazy), then wring out/press in a towel, and wait til they are dry. You do NOT need to wash them very often - seriously, ONLY if they are visibly dirty. And after you wash them in the machine, you will have to lanolize them again.

My preference for sweaters, so far is Gap lambswool, and I also the cashmere sweaters. I have at least 30 thrift-store sweaters ... addict ...

I'm making more shorties now!

--janis

[kimkim]

do i need to use special thread for sewing them together or regular sewing machine thread is fine? i'm going to make them today! they look the same out of the washer. maybe they are already felted...i feel so unknowledgeable!

[lalemma]

Regular thread is fine!

You should be able to tell if a sweater will felt up by looking at the care instructions: if it says "Dry Clean Only" or "Handwash", it will definitely felt. If it says "Machine wash with like colors, dry flat", the wool has probably been treated to keep it from felting. But you can always try!

[honeybunmom]

Originally Posted by kimkim

do i need to use special thread for sewing them together or regular sewing machine thread is fine? i'm going to make them today! they look the same out of the washer. maybe they are already felted...i feel so unknowledgeable!

Regular is fine - but polyester over cotton to avoid wicking. Although, in all honesty, I can't imagine how much of an issue wicking would be given that the soaker is taking most of the moisture.

I also use a needle for heavy fabrics.

[laughingfox]

I use polyester thread.
I machine washed DD's all the time. I find that they stretch out as worn, and rewashing + drying them makes them shrink back down.. kind of like my jeans. When they got soiled, I just threw them in the (dry) pail with everything else, and washed everything together as normal.
I also don't bother with the lanolin. I didn't find it made a noticeable enough difference to be worth the hassle.

[jrabbit]

I use regular polyester thread on my regular sewing machine. I am hoping to acquire a serger soon, and I'll probably experiment with it.

Originally Posted by laughingfox

I also don't bother with the lanolin. I didn't find it made a noticeable enough difference to be worth the hassle.

sounds logical, but I decided to research it: This info about lanolin is helpful and interesting.

[kimkim]

thanks for all the advice!

does anyone find wool soakers cumbersome in terms of lots of diaper changes?

i used to nanny for kids with disposables so that's all i know. i want to give this a fair try but thought i'd ask. seems like the pul diaper covers etc are all velcro, not pull ons. i assume i'd get used to pulling off the soaker with changes but any tricks? advice?

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by kimkim

thanks for all the advice!

does anyone find wool soakers cumbersome in terms of lots of diaper changes?

i used to nanny for kids with disposables so that's all i know. i want to give this a fair try but thought i'd ask. seems like the pul diaper covers etc are all velcro, not pull ons. i assume i'd get used to pulling off the soaker with changes but any tricks? advice?

Do you usually take their pants off before taking off the dipe? Same difference. For many of us, the soaker takes the place of shorts/pants/bloomers.

[laughingfox]

I didn't find pull-ons to be cumbersome.
There are also plenty of patterns online for wrap-style covers, if want to give that style a try as well.
Personally, I like that there's nothing to "wear out" with a pull-on cover. Velcro, snaps, and elastic only last so long.

I did make some velcro wrap covers in the newborn size this time, though, just because it was easier to make them scoop down in the front to keep them off the umbilical stump (but I had to use polarfleece, since I couldn't get any more wool sweaters at my local thrift store. )

[jrabbit]

I use the wool sweater pants/shorts *AS* pants or shorts or bloomers or whatever is needed for a particular ensemble. In the winter, i'd use a thinner set of pants underneath a creeper.

I admit, it's more fun to create girls' outfits around wool bloomers, though

--janis