Tips for Ironing 100 Percent Woven Rayon?

[jenny_islander]

I bought a lovely rayon top from Ulla Popken that I wore right out of the package because I was in a hurry. It draped perfectly. I just washed it per the directions on the tag--cold water, line dry--and it shrank!

The complaints department said that the "cool iron" note on the tag is not optional and the woven rayon will stretch back out, somehow, when I iron it. The problem is that I iron things maybe once or twice a year and I have never ironed rayon. This is an expensive top, the first new one I have bought in years, so I need to not ruin it!

Any tips from more experience ironers out there?

[mom2boys]

does your iron have various settings? I know my (cheapo) has a setting for rayon.
You could always use a pressing cloth, too, if it makes you feel better. Just a cotton or muslin type cloth over the rayon top so the iron isn't actually touching the rayon.

[jenny_islander]

OK, I'm going to ask for ridiculously detailed information here because I could count the number of times I have ironed a shirt in my life and have fingers left. ISTR that it goes like this--please somebody check my details!

1. Put towel on table, heat up iron. Only put water in the iron if the rayon setting is in the steam zone.

2. Turn shirt inside out, put on towel with inside parts on top. Lay ironing cloth over one part of shirt at a time. Iron the sleeves, then the back, then the bottom, then the top (there is no collar on this shirt). Flip each sleeve over to iron the other half.

3. Turn shirt right side out and flip over. Iron everything again.

4. Shake out, hang up, and don't forget to turn off the iron.

[mommasgirl]

How thick is the towel? I normally use a dish towel, or something like that, that is fairly thin. You shouldn't need to iron it a second time if you've done a careful job the first time. I always tell people if there is a delicate fabric you need to iron always do it inside out.