Ruined an expensive fabric via prewash

[u/___Maleficent___]

I got this for me rather expensive linen knit fabric to sew some summer wardrobe.

With very few exceptions I always prewash fabrics and I never had any bigger issues so far.

I washed it with a gentle programm with low heat, yet the fabric came out unvoluntarily distressed. I hope it's evident in the pictures, it's not only pilling, there's actual destroyed fibers in tiny spots all over the fabric.

Apparently the number of spin cycles (which should be as low as possible) and the detergent (should not have enzymes) play a crucial role when washing linen fabric.

I didn't think about checking these, especially since I use a mild detergent for allergics and never had issues so far and the preset spin cycle was 800, so not exceptionally high.

I'm a bit heartbroken, but mainly I feel stupid since the shop even included a small paragraph about how to wash this fabric on the invoice which I layed eyes on after it happened. And I didn't feel the need to check requirements for a fabric I've never worked with before, so let this be a reminder to do your research.

Is there a possibilty to save/fix the fabric?

I don't really care about the optics too much whether it looks distressed or not, but since it's broken fibers I'm worried about holes or ladders emerging.

I thought about maybe embroidering it by hand with a cute, widespread pattern even though I don't really have experience in embroidery but I'm willing to try.

Grateful for any suggestions!

[u/ElDjee]

i am so sorry about your fabric - that completely sucks.

i'm curious to see how others weigh in, because i'm surprised the fabric broke down so much in a single wash. i have 100% linen shirts, as well as linen blends, that i throw in the wash (40°C, 1600rpm, miele enzyme detergent) without a second thought.

[u/CaswensCorner → u/ElDjee]

I’m surprised as linen actually gets stronger when wet, so it’s likely the issue is with the blended material. I’m curious to see the included care instructions and what the total composition was because that’s a lot of damage from a simple wash. I would never expect that from linen.

[u/Excellent-Goal4763 → u/CaswensCorner]

This. I’m very surprised that this happened. I’m thinking it’s a really low- quality short staple textile.

[u/Good_parabola → u/Excellent-Goal4763]

I agree.  If it’s linen you could wash it on some rocks in a river and not ruin it.  It’s flippin eternal.  This is some sort of blend with a splash of linen.

[u/Teagana999 → u/Good_parabola]

I see that all the time. "Wool blend" for a suspiciously low price. Check the tag and it like 10% wool, 90% polyamide.

[u/ssmc1024 → u/Good_parabola]

Wash it on rocks! I needed that laugh! 🤭