
When cotton is made, tension is applied to it. When exposed to heat, cotton releases the tension that was applied to it when it was created, which causes it to shrink. If you want to prevent shrinking in the dryer, consider using polyester embroidery thread instead of cotton. Cotton Embroidery Thread Will Shrink More Than PolyesterĬotton is more prone to shrinking in the dryer than polyester. Again, I don’t advise putting your embroidery projects in the dryer to begin with, so this shouldn’t even be a concern.īut, it’s important to cover. To be comprehensive though, we’re going to start off by talking about which embroidery threads are prone to shrinking. Important note: I don’t recommend putting your embroidery projects in the washer or dryer to begin with, which we’ll talk about later in this post.
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In this post, we’re going to cover both issues so you have as few shrinking problems as possible, both with your threads and with your fabrics. If the garment you embroidered on shrinks, there will be a much bigger impact than if your embroidery thread itself shrinks. When we think about embroidery thread shrinking in the dryer, we’re missing the bigger problem. This means that your embroidery thread isn’t being held in the same place as it was before. Each needle prick into your fabric is intentional and holds your embroidery thread in the exact spot where you intended it to. Your fabric and your embroidery thread have a very important relationship. It’s important to pre-wash fabric you plan to embroider on and hand wash it after your embroidery is complete. When shrinkage and puckering occurs, it’s usually due to the fabric that the embroidery is on. What actually happened? Is it the embroidery thread that shrank in the dryer?Ĭotton embroidery threads can shrink in the dryer, but this is rarely a big problem.


It’s even worse when that piece of clothing has a beautiful piece of embroidery on it that you spent hours working on. It’s an awful experience to pull a piece of clothing out of the dryer and realize it has shrunk.
