WAXED COTTON FABRIC Secrets You Need to Know

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Waxed cotton is fantastic for waterproof outdoor jackets and bags but many steer clear of it - afraid to use it. You shouldn't be!

In this video we'll explain how to work with waxed cotton, show you a working project and how we ended up with THREE TONNES of waxed cotton in our flat!

There are two main types - "wet" wax / oilskin and dry wax cotton.

WET WAX COTTON / OILSKIN
Traditional waxed cotton is waterproof. It's used by very well known brands for outdoor jackets and is seen as a high end fabric.
It feels wet, waxy. You feel it on your fingers when you work with it, but the wax does lessen as you work with it.
Do not machine wash. Do not iron. Do not tumble dry. Spot clean only.
Avoid pinning as it punctures the wax coating. Water tends to get through holes!
You can reproof with a tin of wax to maintain the coating.
Waxed cotton does need a barrier lining. It's a specially coated cotton lining used in all waxed cotton jackets (it's often a checked design). This prevents wax transfer from pressure contact.

DRY WAX COTTON
Dry wax cotton is weather resistant, not waterproof. It can take a light rain shower but not heavy rain. It is used in outdoor jackets, trousers and in everyday wear by well known brands. The crispy, structured feel is the giveaway that it is dry waxed cotton.
This just feels like normal cotton fabric, although it has a structure to it. it can feel crispy, paper thin, floaty or even heavy/robust.
You can machine wash, air dry and iron on a low setting. Don't steam though. You can reproof the using a spray application if you want to retain the weather resistance. Otherwise, treat it like normal cotton fabric.
You don't need to line a dry wax jacket. In fact, it is often used as a single layer duster coat, trousers, shirts and even dresses.

So how did we end up with three tonnes of waxed cotton in our flat?
By saying "yes" to a simple question and then having to figure out things as we went.

DEADSTOCK FABRIC SHOP
If you are interested in waxed cotton, we run an online deadstock fabric shop at arkdefo.com where we sell 3m cuts of dry wax, canvas, linings and waxed cotton, alongside our 100% natural fibre shop.

ONLINE CLOTHES MAKING COURSES
All our online courses are available at courses.arkdefo.com and remember to use discount code YT10 to get 10% off any course.

Timestamps
00:00 - How to work with waxed cotton fabric and what is waxed cotton
00:38 - How we saved 17 tonnes of deadstock waxed cotton and had it in our flat
02:07 - What’s the difference between wet and dry waxed cotton?
03:53 - Arkdefo sample book
04:17 - Liza Bennett who am I and what we do at Arkdefo
05:03 - What is wet waxed cotton?
05:26 - Special tools to work with waxed cotton
05:47 - What is barrier lining and why it is so important
07:51 - Can you iron wet waxed cotton?
08:31 - Tips for pinning waxed cotton
08:44 - Will the water soak through the seams and how to use French seams for waxed cotton fabric
09:27 - Biggest disadvantage of classic waxed jackets
09:50 - How to improve a jacket design and what went wrong with the first waxed jacket
11:29 - How much fabric I used
11:38 - A seamless (almost) pattern for a waterproof jacket
13:21 - My personal favourite hood pattern
15:37 - How to put a jacket together
17:36 - How to clean your sewing machine if the wax gets through
18:23 - How to look after wet waxed cotton garments

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