National Clothesline

Part 4

Finishing Women’s Knitted Garments

Knits in women’s apparel are more popular today than ever before. Knit blouses have dominated the styles for all women, young and old, since they accentuate the female lines and are attractive to their male admirers.

Low cut fronts and tight-fitting sides are the norm for the modern female. No longer are the knitted garments comprised of all cotton, all wool, all silk, all linen, etc., since they are usually blended with spandex, an elastic fiber which can stretch with tension and return to its original smaller size when the tension is relieved without any distortion or hand.

Spandex-blended knits offer few problems in finishing as long as the steam cycle is kept short and without high head pressure. A little buck steam, generous vacuum and light hand tension is all that is needed. Wrinkled knits may require contact head pressure on the buck steam for a second only.

Knits of acetate and acrylic fibers need extra special precautions, especially acrylics. If an acrylic knit is saturated with steam, and it is handled, it will stretch to a point where it is impossible to return it to its original size.

However, there are still some expensive knitted garments of 100% silk and 100 percent wool which require extreme care in finishing. These garments can become distorted in finishing if care is not exercised. Therefore, there are some special precautions, e.g.:

1. Use minimum steam cycle on the steam-air form finisher (five seconds maximum) with no added tensioning beyond that required for the original size.

2. When working on a utility press, move the knit garment away from you by gently lifting it and dropping it for finishing the next area.

3. Make sure that the knit garment is dried thoroughly before moving to the next lay on the utility press or ironing board, or when removing it from the steam-air form finisher.

4. Do not put loosely knitted garments, bulky knit garments, textured acetate knit garments or acrylic knit garments on the steam-air form finisher. Do not over-saturate acetate knit garments with steam when using a utility press or hand iron, and do not touch them while still wet with steam; they must be bone dry when handled.

5. Adjust shoulder supports so they do not form a bulge. The typical silk finishing units, as described in Part 1 of this series, are used for finishing knitted garments.

Yarns used to make soft knit garments have a tendency to become fuzzy due to fibers protruding from the yarns or the tendency of some fibers to “pill.” This can be remedied or minimized by carding or brushing. Carding lays the fibers down straight. Use a medium hard bristle brush if a regular carding brush is not available. Brush carefully to avoid stretching or removing too many of the fibers. Hold the palm of the hand firmly on the fabric and brush with approximately ten inch strokes with the other hand several times until each area is finished.

Note: Do not attempt to cover too large an area. This causes the brush to jump and skip which produces rough appearing lines in the fabric.

Some knit dresses and skirts are fully lined and require turning inside out and hand ironing to remove hard wrinkles. Some dresses with soft wrinkles can be touched up on the puff irons. After ironing out the wrinkles on the inside, remove the knit garment from the press or ironing board and turn it right side out.

The garment is then finished in a similar fashion as the unlined knit garment as follows:

1. Grasp the inside of the collar at the right shoulder seam with the right hand and the right side seam at the hemline with the left hand.

2. Raise the dress to approximately the top of the steam-air form finisher.

3. Guide the hem over the top of the form finisher with the left hand.

4. Pull gently downward with the left hand while guiding the top of the dress over the form with the right hand until the shoulders are resting on the shoulder supports of the form finisher.

5. Adjust the shoulder supports so there is no bulge in the sleeve heads.

6. Adjust the shoulders of the dress so that the shoulder seam is resting on the center of the shoulder support.

7. Straighten all inside facings and collar allowances and linings and close the zipper.

8. Adjust the tensioning form finisher for very little tension so as not to stretch the garment beyond its normal size. Do not attach front or back clamps on conventional form finisher.

9. Start the steam-air cycle (five seconds steam, 25 seconds air).

10. Compress the shoulder supports to their smallest size when the steam-air is finished.

11. Close the zipper.

12. Grasp the collar line on both sides at the shoulder seams with both hands.

13. Lift and guide to one side until the bottom of the hemline clears the top of the form.

14. Hang the garment and close the zipper.

The bodice and sleeves can be finished on the puff irons: Apply one shot of steam, smooth with the fabric head, or hand pad, and apply vacuum (recommended for all puff irons). Remember the precautions for acetate and acrylic knits.

The skirt portion of the dress can be finished on the utility press by applying two seconds of buck steam, “kissing” the buck with the press head with contact pressure for one second, releasing the press head and applying vacuum for several seconds until the area is totally dried and somewhat cooled. Remember the precautions for acetate and acrylic knits.

The skirt portion can also be finished on the up air, vacuum finishing board with the steam-electric hand iron by applying the up air as the finishing buck with short bursts of buck steam or steam from the hand iron to produce a smooth, soft finish. The vacuum is then applied to dry and cool the fabric.

A knit skirt is finished first at the waistband and then the top portion about five inches down from the waistband where the darts and tops of any pleats are present. The skirt is then backed off five inches and the lower skirt portion is finished as described above for the knit dress. Remember the precautions for acetate and acrylic knits.

If the skirt is lined, it is first turned inside out and all wrinkles are hand ironed out. After the lining has been smoothed, the skirt is then turned right side out and finished as described for the knit skirt above.

After finishing, the dress should be placed on a covered hanger with a shoulder-protecting device to avoid shifting and creating a crease across the shoulder. Tissue should be inserted in the sleeves and a bust form inserted in the bodice. The finished skirt should be attached to a full size “grabber” hanger (as used by department stores) or attached to a covered hanger by means of special plastic clamps purchased from supply distributors.

Note: My spotting video, “The Caplan Method of Stain Removal,” which includes my comprehensive text and handy spotting board reference available in English, Spanish and Korean (video only in Korean) from the Golomb Group, c/o Dennis McCrory, 7664 Plaza Court, Willowbrook, IL 60521, phone (800) 679-5856. A lecture and demonstration are presented similar to my classes over the years at IFI and SDA. This video and text are ideal for training inexperienced spotters as well as a good review for experienced spotters. Digesting with enzymes, bleaching, oxidized oil stains and caramelized sugar stains are discussed and demonstrated. An article on “Removing Spots in the Cleaning Machine” and an article on “How to Increase Production in the Spotting Department” are included in the comprehensive text book.

Also available from the Golomb Group, in English and Spanish, is my video on step-by-step shirt finishing which includes my comprehensive text in loose-leaf form outlining each procedure for single-operator and two-operator cabinet shirt unit using a cabinet sleeve press. Proper forming of the collar using heated collar formers is demonstrated. Each lay is demonstrated for top quality with very little effort by the operators. Attractive detailing and packaging of the hangered shirt, padding, steam pressures and timing are all discussed. A unique wash formula for whiter whites and brighter colors and removal of grease and body oils is included in the loose-leaf text book.

My experience with shirts spans over 55 years with US Army as a principal laundry and dry-cleaning concessionaire at Ft. Meade, MD, where average shirt volume was approximately 10,000 per day. We were constantly “sampled” for excellent quality in both finishing and washing in laundry and drycleaning and in tailoring.

We operated our own 40,000-sq.-ft. plant for over 35 years.

Stan Caplan has over 35 years experience in his own high volume dry-cleaning, laundry and tailoring plant and two package plants with adjoining coin-operated laundry and drycleaning. Stan is the former chief instructor at the International Fabricare Institute, the Southwest Drycleaners Association and various other trade association-sponsored schools throughout the US and courses in Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong. Stan offers consulting, training and engineering services in all areas from customer service area to the boiler room since 1981. His complete system withtotal quality management will produce maximum efficiency, economy and product excellent quality. Stan can be reached at 3601 Clarks Lane, Suite 307, Baltimore, MD 21215, phone/fax (410) 358-0870. His e-mail address is stancap100@aol.com.