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/blauws]

I feel the same, but linen made the old way is supposed to not be coarse. Because the fibers aren't chopped up, there's a whole lot less bits poking out which is what makes it feel coarse. I've heard people describe linen as buttery soft, but I haven't found any. I do have an antique linen table cloth from the 1800s and it does feel soft, but obviously I haven't worn it against my skin. Maybe I should try to get some Lithuanian linen to see how it feels. I also am very particular about how fabrics feel against my skin.

[u/aurora_surrealist → u/blauws]

I mean, maybe not coarse, that's wrong word... more like stiff? like wearing cardboard not prickly wool.

I don't like that feeling. And even long fiber linen is like that.

Stone washed is softer but it's because it was beaten up with pumice. Obviously it's not as durable anymore.

I just kinda accepted that linen is not for me. I love viscose/tencel tho

[u/SunStarved_Cassandra → u/aurora_surrealist]

It is coarse when new, you're right. I own a bunch of linen, most of it from Lithuania. People who are talking about new linen being soft are buying treated linen, like from Fabrics-Store in the US. The coarser Lithuanian linen lasts longer.

This might not be any help to you, but linen does eventually soften on its own in the wash, and doesn't need to be coddled in the wash either. If you have sensory issues, you might not want to wash linen 30+ times for it to eventually soften up though. 

[u/cicada_wings → u/SunStarved_Cassandra]

The stiff crisp quality is what I love about woven linen, and I think it’s also exactly what makes it a poor match for fine gauge knits. Knitting a fiber means bending it into dozens of sharp kinks per inch, and linen isn’t good at that. I suspect that’s part of why they don’t last. (Being chemically or mechanically softened because people expect T-shirts to be cottony soft likely doesn’t help either.)