FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
AND HELPFUL HINTS USING
Chenille By The Inch®

Q? What is the purpose of the white backing material that I remove and discard?

Ans. The backing material is polyester stabilizer that stabilizes the chenille fabric. The chenille fabric is sewn on the bias, and without the stabilizer, the fabric would warp and stretch so that the sewn stitch lines would no longer be straight but wavy. Wavy stitch lines would make it difficult to cut strips having equal fabric on either side of the stitch line. It is necessary to keep the stabilizer in place during production, packaging, shipping and customer handling, to prevent warp and stretch.

Q? Why is it important to cut the chenille fabric with equal material on either side of the stitch line?

Ans. When the chenille fabric "fluffs", it actually curls around the stitch line holding it to the background fabric. If there is unequal material on either side of the stitch line, the curl appears "fuller" on the side having the greater material.

Q? Can I baste stitch Chenille By The Inch® down?

Ans. No. The presewn stitch line is your guide to sewing down the chenille fabric. If you sew directly on top of the presewn line, then the fibers will have a double lockstitch to help hold them in place. A tighter stitch (more stitches per inch) will better hold the fibers.

Q? Can I heat bond Chenille By The Inch® to my background fabric?

Ans. No. This would bond the bottom layer of Chenille By The Inch® fabric to your background fabric. This layer would not curl and add to the fluff.
However, it is possible to use a water soluble double-sided tape such as Collins Wonder Tape® to hold the Chenille By The Inch® fabric in place prior to stitching.

Q? Is brushing Chenille By The Inch® necessary? Wouldn't laundering accomplish the same thing?

Ans. For our original Chenille By The Inch®, and Confetti Chenille By The Inch®, brushing is necessary, and laundering will not fully fluff the fabric.
For our new Easy Fluff Chenille By The Inch®, brushing is optional. Full bloom of the chenille may be obtained by laundering only.

Q? Will any brush fluff Chenille By The Inch®?

Ans. No. Fabric Cafe has tested dozens of brushes. Polyester brushes, such as toothbrushes, are too soft to separate the fibers. Toothbrushes are also too small to get the job done quickly even if they were stiffer. Wire brushes are too firm, and will damage the background fabric. Fabric Cafe's brushes are made to our specifications to provide a firm bristle, with an ample working surface, and an ergonomic handle.

Q? Can I cut strips from Chenille By The Inch® fabric using any ruler?

Ans. Yes. Just make sure the cut is centered between the stitch lines so there is equal material on either side of the stitch line. Fabric Cafe's cutting guide has a scribe line that is placed directly over the presewn stitch line which ensures equal material.

Q? Can I make my own chenille fabric?

Ans. Yes. However the process is very labor intensive. Moreover, the stitch lines must be straight to allow easy cutting into strips, and the stitch lines should be equally spaced, otherwise the fabric will be unequal on either side of the stitch line.

Helpful hints

Removing Backing

To remove backing, hold both sides of Chenille By The Inch® fabric with the thumbs at the center stitch line, and gently pull by rolling the wrists outward. The backing will separate at the stitch line. Work the center stitch line, then progress from the center out to the sides. The object of this step is just to part the stabilizer at the stitch lines, not actually remove it.

Next, beginning at the center, pull off a strip of stabilizer longways. Continue pulling off strips from the center outwards, removing every other strip. The remaining strips will then be even easier to remove.

If you experience excessive static cling while removing backing, try wiping the backing with an anti-cling sheet as used with clothes dryers.

Laundering Chenille By The Inch®

Because of minerals and chlorine (active ingredient in bleach) found in tap water, we encourage you to use distilled water when spritzing and brushing your sewn chenille strips. Also, there is no need to saturate the strips, just a light mist of water does the trick.

Always launder dark colors with a dye-absorbing product such as Dye Magnet by Woolite, or Color Catcher by the maker of Shout. Both of these products may be found in the laundry products section of your favorite store.

Another excellent product is Synthapol, which is used to remove any loose dye particles at the end of the dyeing process. Synthapol may be found wherever fabric dyeing chemicals are sold. Follow label directions.

Always promptly remove laundered items from the machine.

Should you experience bleed from Chenille By The Inch®, do not heat set the dye by drying. Immediately relaunder using one of the products above. This usually removes the dye particles.

Removing Lint from Chenille Brush

Rap the brush, bristles down, on a hard surface. The lint will move towards the bristle tips. Then flick the bristles with your thumb.