This is the text of paper/presentation that I'm displaying at Caid's Festival of the Rose on Feb. 3, 2007. It is a rework into an experiment summary paper format as opposed to an experiment diary format of The Pinking Project.

Background:

I first got interested in this project when I was making a suit of clothes copied from “The Tailor,” by Giovanni Batista Moroni. The doublet was made from a synthetic fabric with a wool-like feel so I used a hot knife and fused the pinks while cutting them. However, I wasn’t planning on making a wardrobe of polyester doublets so I decided to figure out what would work best to prevent the fraying of pinks and slashes in garments.

Scope of the project:

This is currently planned to be a two part project. Part one is chemical means, glues, fray blocking solutions etc. Part two will be physical, mainly different types of stitching. I may in the future research methods used in our period of study. However, my focus was on what methods do we have available to us today that we can use on our modern fabrics that will stand up to the kind of washing that we do today.

Methodology:

I took seven types of fabric that are commonly available in our area and cut them to an equal size and serged the edges. I then sewed them to a length of grosgrain ribbon, one of each type to a different color to tell them apart in the future. I then pinked each one across the warp, across the weft and on the bias.

Each set of samples was treated with a different solution with one set left untreated for control.

The fabrics used were: a synthetic moiré, a poly trigger, a poly bargello weave damask with an upholstery backing, a cotton damask, linen, silk taffeta and a silk twill.

The treatment methods were: none (control), interior/exterior wood glue, contact cement, glue stick, liquid stitch fabric glue, gum tragacanth, Dritz Fray-Check, June Taylor Fray Block, iron-on interfacing. I know that not all of the items are designed to be used on fabric and a couple of them are not used in the normal manner. But, I wanted to try a fairly wide range of methods.

Results:

Each of the methods worked to some degree on all the fabrics.

The wood glue did a fairly good job on all of the fabrics but it bled through and so I can’t recommend it.

The contact cement also did a good job of reducing the fraying. But in addition to sharing the bleed through of the wood glue it also melted when trying to press it.

The glue stick was easiest to apply but since it wasn’t waterproof it just washed out and didn’t really protect anything before it went.

The liquid stitch fabric glue did a good job on stopping the fabric from fraying and since it was designed for fabric it didn’t wash out. However, it did bleed through and leave marks.

The gum tragacanth helped some on the natural fibers, except the linen and didn’t bleed through. I’m not sure how it would stand up to repeated washings.

The Dritz FrayCheck worked well on all the fabrics but it stiffened the edges and showed a little on the thin silks.

The June Taylor Fray Block performed similarly to the Dritz but left a little less visual residue. However it didn’t do well on the linen.

Overall the iron on interfacing worked the best but then you’ve just added a non-breathable layer in your garment.

Conclusions:

Given today’s washing methods none of the methods that approximates techniques used in period are really suitable for garments that are going to be washed in modern equipment.

The commercial anti fray solutions stood up well to washing. But then that’s what they were designed to do. As it says on the label, test before use. I would recommend taking a swatch of the fabric and pinking it the way you were planning then treating it with the solution and washing it like you were planning on washing the garment.

If you absolutely want to be sure that it doesn’t fray then fusing your fabric to a light to medium weight interfacing is probably your best bet. But, as I said in the results it’s going to add a non-breathable layer to your garment.

Future research:

Part two of the study will focus on physical methods of reducing fraying. I’ll be using felted wool, different stitch methods and sewn on backing.

Addendum (added Feb. 5, 2007):

Recommendations:

Based on the testing I can't recommend using any of these methods. Some methods can't be recommended because they leave a visible residue, stiffen the fabric or both. None of the methods leave a perfectly sealed edge that will last through even one washing.