Woolen whale – an old fabric experiences new life
Wool is a remarkable natural material, it brings attractive properties. Therefore, basically wool blended fabric or pure wool is made into woolen whale (fulling fabric). The quality of a woolen walk depends on the choice of the basic material.
Specialists value pure new sheep’s wool, which is milled after weaving until it becomes matted and therefore pleasantly dense. The result is a soft and dense fabric made of natural fiber, ideally usable for high quality and durable items.
This fabric, which has been tried and tested for decades, can be found in different thicknesses in the trade.
How is woolen whale (fulling fabric) made?
In the fulling process, the perfect temperature is crucial. Competent employees wash the woven fabric in spacious machines. This creates many air spaces and the surface of the material becomes rougher.
The resulting hard-wearing whalecloth is now able to store heat better and feels much softer to the touch. Afterwards, the woolen whale is dried and can be processed further at a later stage.
There are different types of finishing. The high-quality fabric gets a more comfortable and cuddly wearing property by the processing with the Aufraummaschine. It depends on the purpose of further processing in which thickness the woolen whale is produced.
Blankets and curtains require a thicker fabric than fabrics for garments. The desired thickness of the whalecloth is achieved through steaming.
Only pure water is used for fulling without any additives. This protects our environment, because up to 90% of the water within the production is reusable.
Fulling enhances the natural properties of the wool. A finished fulling fabric is characterized by the following points. It shows:
– Breathable,
– Crease-resistant,
– Dirt and water repellent,
– Heat insulating,
– Windproof and
– Durable.
Here you can learn more about woolen whale.
What products are made from woolwalk
The time-honored woolwalk is often found in traditional clothing. Without this cuddly warm fabric, there are hardly any peasant costumes to be found in the alpine region. In the vernacular, the special fabrics for traditional costumes and coats are called loden.
Jackets and coats, capes and suits are seen in the time-honored colors of gray and dark green. The well-known loden coat has been made in loden green for decades and is currently made more interesting with fashionable accessories.
Even children’s clothing appreciates the advantages of this biologically produced woolen whale: babies and toddlers, for example, feel great in a cuddly overall made of the warming woolen whale.
Despite the traditional loden fashion, modern woolen whale fabrics do not radiate anything old-fashioned. The current color selection shows soft pastel tones up to elegant, strong colors. This makes woolen whale a trendy fabric for pleasantly warm organic clothing.
What makes the woolwalk fabric so special?
The natural fiber wool outperforms any chemical fiber without exception, because ecological clothing made of woolwalk supports our environment. The soft, pleasant woolen fabric made of virgin wool is light, robust and windproof.
This natural product balances temperature fluctuations, regulates heat and absorbs moisture well. These are all ideal conditions for autumn and winter fashion.
Easy to care for!
The fulling fabric should be washed rarely. Wool has a considerable amount of natural wool grease. This prevents dirt from penetrating into the fiber. Any stains can be easily removed with warm water. This is especially useful for children’s clothing.
If a wash can not be avoided, the washing machine is set to gentle cycle. However, hand washing with mild wool detergent is more ideal.
It is very important not to wring out or even spin the garment made of natural fiber. This destroys the fibers.
Dry the clothes gently lying in the fresh air, but do not dry them in the sun or on the heater.
It is worthwhile to treat the fibers of heavily used garments with a lanolin wool treatment. This preserves the natural wool grease and revitalizes the defense against dirt.
Under no circumstances should woolwalk be taken to the dry cleaners. The chemical detergents destroy the animal wool fat and nobody likes to smell the chemical fumes anyway.
What distinguishes woolen whale from other fabrics
Woolen whale is 100% pure natural fiber and therefore daily washing is not appropriate. The high proportion of natural wool grease does not allow dirt to penetrate the fibers. Exceptionally coarse dirt is simply brushed out, otherwise regular airing of the garment is sufficient.
The whalecloth is not waterproof, but it repels wind and water. This means a little rain will not harm it. When cutting yourself, there is no need for unnecessary hemming, because whalecloth does not fray out.
Just sew it yourself
Suturing, even for beginners, is comfortable and easy due to an interesting feature. Woolwalk fabric does not need to be hemmed because it does not fray. The cut edges remain unfinished while providing a casual look.
A size 80 or 90 universal needle and a small zigzag stitch are recommended for suturing. In this case, the suture remains elastic. Round seams at the shoulders or in the sleeve area are stabilized with a narrow molton insert or a bias tape.
This increases the wearing comfort, because the seam does not warp even when worn for a long time.
Furthermore, the use of an overlock machine is recommended, whose open-edged processing additionally brings out the plain look of woolwalks.
