Yes, I've had that happen with vintage rayon. Luckily, the dress was a little bit big so it actually shrunk it to the perfect size. I handwash my rayon in cold water with wool wash, spin it on slow and then lay it out flat to dry on a towel. I haven't had any other problems with shrinkage since I started doing that.
I use the hand wash program on my machine for all my vintage dresses, and yes, they do shrink, but like liliesandremains I've found that they go back to their original size after ironing. But only if I dampen them first and leave them in a plastic bag for a time to make sure they're evenly damp. I'm not comfortable using a steam iron on vintage fabric as I'm afraid I'll scold the fabric, so I use a vintage iron with no steam.
All in all, even if it gives a fright the first time one experiences this, it's easily remedied 🙂
Last year I washed a wool crepe dress in the machine (I didn´t know any better). Can´t say that it had a happy ending. I hope your dress will be back to it´s original size!
You can also use a modern steam iron to iron back to size, though never ever touch the iron directly on the fabric or you'll get an awful shiny iron mark. just use a towel/cloth between the iron and the dress – I use a muslin cloth which is actually for facewashing and that works well.
i know this is an old post … but sometimes it's good to read tat i'm not the only person with vintage washing issues 😉 i do hand wash/cold almost every vintage dress since a local dry cleaner ruined one special dress.
liliesandremains
Fret not! I handwash all my rayon, they always shrink…. But they always expand back as soon as you steam it! 😀
Xo Sara
Camelia Crinoline
Yes, I've had that happen with vintage rayon. Luckily, the dress was a little bit big so it actually shrunk it to the perfect size. I handwash my rayon in cold water with wool wash, spin it on slow and then lay it out flat to dry on a towel. I haven't had any other problems with shrinkage since I started doing that.
YamYam
Oh dear.I did this with a knittet shirt…so it fits to the dog…*grummel*
so i bought especially a washing machine with wool program…
what a pitty… Ines
Suna
I use the hand wash program on my machine for all my vintage dresses, and yes, they do shrink, but like liliesandremains I've found that they go back to their original size after ironing. But only if I dampen them first and leave them in a plastic bag for a time to make sure they're evenly damp. I'm not comfortable using a steam iron on vintage fabric as I'm afraid I'll scold the fabric, so I use a vintage iron with no steam.
All in all, even if it gives a fright the first time one experiences this, it's easily remedied 🙂
Katrin
Last year I washed a wool crepe dress in the machine (I didn´t know any better). Can´t say that it had a happy ending. I hope your dress will be back to it´s original size!
Bex
Thanks for reassuring me, I'll give it a steam! C
Bex
Phew – thankyou! X
Rebecka M
You can also use a modern steam iron to iron back to size, though never ever touch the iron directly on the fabric or you'll get an awful shiny iron mark. just use a towel/cloth between the iron and the dress – I use a muslin cloth which is actually for facewashing and that works well.
zilredloh
I had no idea vintage rayon shrinks! What a newbie I am…
I have a vintage rayon dress that I've been too lazy to clean, and now I'm terribly glad I did after reading all of these helpful comments.
wardrobeexperience
i know this is an old post … but sometimes it's good to read tat i'm not the only person with vintage washing issues 😉
i do hand wash/cold almost every vintage dress since a local dry cleaner ruined one special dress.