Felted, Shrunken Wool Shawls Restored to Size (incl. Fendi)

Background

A customer from another city asked whether we could do anything about a shawl that had ended up like this after washing. It looked really bad. At first we only said we could bring back some of its softness, since in our industry a wool shawl that has already felted was generally considered beyond saving.

But when the shawl arrived, I suddenly had an idea for how to restore it. The customer, however, needed it back in a hurry. I told them to pay and take it for now, then bring it back later and I would finish the job for free. I was going to solve it anyway; it's just that we tend to work slowly. After all, we haven't seen every kind of item and situation, and every garment has a different weave and fiber content.

Later the customer really did bring it back again from Hsinchu, and the restoration began. In the end, it was restored to more than 90% of its original condition.

By the way: if you need something urgently and it has a pile of problems, please go to another shop. From now on we won't take rush orders that need this kind of work. Other shops are surely more skilled, faster and less expensive.

Traditional Dry Cleaners Usually Can't Fix Felting

As you can see in the large photo below, the wool had already matted and balled up in many places, and this shawl is fairly thick. It was basically considered unfixable, and the many shops the customer asked all said the same thing. We happened to have recently worked out a new method, so we used it to fix the shawl. The result came out very well: it's essentially back to its original size, with no curling.

Our Third Restoration Brought Back the Curled Edges

The smaller one in the photo looks a little wrinkled, but that's already after it was restored from its curled, felted state. The larger one below is after we treated it again, to bring back the size and feel it should have. Once that was done, look at the lines: they show whether it has returned to how it's supposed to look. The texture you see comes from the sponge on the ironing table; in reality it's smooth. Very nice!

Bonus Case: Another Cleaner's Customer Also Felted a Wool Shawl in the Washer

This one was received by a fellow cleaner. Again, the customer washed it at home, and the pattern had been washed out until it disappeared. I heard the customer had already given up on it... 0.0

This shawl is thinner, so it was less difficult, though it's still shawl weight, not a scarf. I happened to be delivering clothes nearby that day, so I stopped by to share what I know with this senior colleague. Amazingly, with a bit of luck, the pattern was restored enough to be visible again. Of course, some areas still need fine-tuning afterward.

I just wanted to post about felting: a problem that has long troubled our industry now seems to be largely solved. It feels like textbook-level technique. I hope it becomes widespread, so we can solve more people's problems and help bring your treasured items back to a usable state as much as possible.

FAQ

Q: Can all shrinkage be fixed?

In the past, cleaners considered this kind of damage a lost cause. But shawls, scarves and similar fabrics have a regular pattern in how they're woven, so we took advantage of that and adjusted how we do the restoration.

The usual approach was to use finishing agents and stretch the fabric while ironing. But with felted items, that method can still let the fabric shrink back. We developed our own new combined method that lets shrunken items recover to a much greater extent, and we've already taught it to several fellow cleaners.

As we always say: if you're not confident, don't try to save a little money by washing it yourself. Sending it for cleaning costs a hundred or two NT dollars and saves you trouble and worry.

Have a similar item? Send us photos on LINE and we'll take a look.