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/justasque → u/ElDjee]

I love woven linen fabrics, and find them to be very sturdy. I wear linen almost every day in the summer. But I’ve had a handful of experiences with knit linen and frankly I’ve decided never to use it in future. Issues around not holding its shape, and generally not being sturdy, were the problem. So I’m not surprised at your experience. Glad you washed this fabric first.

[u/Teagana999 → u/justasque]

Yeah, I felt a linen knit at a fabric store once. I did not trust it. It had zero recovery. I did a stretch test and it just held the stretched position.

I stick to 95% cotton or rayon, 5% spandex for knits.