Ask Angie: First day as a member, need help!

Robin

Angie-I'm new here and not exactly sure how things work here. I replied to an old forum post with a question. This is what I wrote:
This is my first day as a member. I came here through a google search. This is an old post, so I'm not sure if this will be seen here or not.. I purchased a pair of rayon pants online to pick up in the store at Macy's. I'm disabled, so shopping in stores is difficult for me. The pants are a little big on me. The label states to machine wash cold and tumble dry low. If I wash them on warm and dry them on medium, will they shrink a little? If they don't shrink enough, would it damage them to wash or dry at higher temperatures? Any suggestions?"
Should I have started a new forum question instead of replying to a very old one?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Robin Huffman
mr7373@mindspring.com

9 years ago

General

11 replies

Latest reply was from abc

Louise

Veteran

Hi Robin and welcome aboard. Probably best to ask your questions as a new post like this as you'll probably get more replies.
Angie's not spending much time online at the moment due to wrist problems and I'm afraid I'm not too sure what would happen in this case but I'm sure someone will be along soon with the answer x

9 years ago

Summer

Veteran

Welcome, Robin. Angie is off the forum for a while.

Can you exchange the pants for a smaller size? I understand that returns may be difficult for you, but I worry that you might spoil the pants on too high a wash.

9 years ago

Anonymous

I used to do that kind of home adjustment on jeans but that was when they were 100% cotton. Fabric blends and reactions are so unpredictable now I wouldn't rely on wash temperatures to correct the size especially since once you wash them they'll be difficult if not impossible to return.
Sometimes you can have UPS pick them up at your home so you could make the return that way and just order the smaller size online again.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Welcome. I used this technique on cotton. I have no experience with other fabrications, but I question whether it will work.

9 years ago

Sal

Veteran

Welcome Robin to the forum....online shopping does have pitfalls. I always seem to get the wrong size!

I can't answer this question but would be tempted to try and exchange for another pair if at all possible. You could experiment but I only do these experiments when I am prepared to lose/ruin the item in question (such as overdying worn garments or stretching shrunken tees).

9 years ago

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Welcome, Robin! The washing instructions suggest that the item or fabric has been preshrunk and the manufacturer does not expect it to shrink further--so, attempts to shrink the pants to fit are not a great bet. That said, I'm
surprised the tag says machine wash and dry, because rayon does tend to
shrink. You can never be sure it's going to shrink the way you want it to, if it does at all.

9 years ago

Dimity

Active Member

Welcome from me too!
I think Firecracker is right, you can't be sure that you'll get the results that you want with a deliberate shrink. And also, that you will like the feel of the fabric afterwards. It might be too thick and rough.

9 years ago

Joy

Veteran

I also think Firecracker is right. Rayon usually will shrink in the dryer, but it may be hard to control. As I remember, it shrinks in length more than all over, but I'm not sure.

9 years ago

annabelle

Veteran

I too worry that the garment would shrink more (or less) at the seams, and not uniformly.

9 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welcome, and it looks like you've been sorted. (Rayon tends to shrink on high heat).

9 years ago

abc

Veteran

Hi Robin, welcome to the forum. It seems like you got answers to your question already. I just wanted to suggest that you remove your email address from the post for security reasons. If anyone needs to get in touch with you, there is a private message functionality through YLF that works brilliantly. Enjoy your time here. There's a ton to learn

9 years ago

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