If you sew, or craft with the fabric, you are likely very familiar with cotton, polyester, linen, and other fabric types.
What about the less common fabric: jute?
Jute fabric is not as standard and might not be something that you have previously heard about, at least not under that name.
Can you iron jute fabric?
Jute fabric can be ironed, but make sure you do research first. Jute fabric is touchy when it comes to ironing and can ruin the fabric if you do it wrong. Furthermore, if you are not correctly using techniques to keep your fabric-safe, you could ruin your iron as well.
Below, not only have I helped to explain precisely what jute fabric is, but I’ve also helped to explain how to properly care for it!
What is Jute Fabric?
As the name suggests, jute fabric is made from jute, which is a powerful natural fiber that has a variety of functional purposes.
These purposes include rope, twine, fabrics, and even paper.
Even though you may not have heard of jute, you are likely familiar with the fabric that is made from it.
In it’s finished form, a fabric made from jute is often called burlap, gunny cloth, or hessian. Jute fabric is very breathable and can have a high level of moisture-wicking abilities.
Jute does not stretch very well and can be highly prone to pilling.
Jute fabric is often used for furniture, home decor, crafts, and other projects. This is even more true with rustic and barn style decor becoming very popular.
Some potential uses for jute fabric include:
- Curtains
- Cushions
- Placemats/Tablecloths
- Wall Hangings
- Ribbon/Bows/Wreaths
- Flower Pot Covers
- Winter Plant Protection
- Weed Suppression
This is not even close to an inclusive list of what you can use burlap for.
Burlap can be used both functionally, decoratively, or even both.
Is it Recommended to Iron Jute Fabric?
Jute fabric is very particular and can be difficult to take care of.
One of the reasons for this is that jute fabrics are greatly weakened when exposed to water. It is also very easy for jute fabric to unravel on the edges.
This can make washing your jute fabric difficult, and you should always make sure to handwash it. If you do put jute fabric in your washing machine, you will likely have to wipe out all of the left behind fibers left in your washing machine.
Another reason that it can be difficult to take care of your jute fabric is because of how touchy it can be when ironed. This is unfortunate because jute fabric wrinkles easily and often even come off your fabric roll wrinkled.
You can iron your jute fabric, but if you do not do it correctly, you could harm your fabric or even your iron.
It is also not recommended that you put your burlap in the dryer, and instead, you should let it air dry. A dryer can be too harsh on burlap, which is a delicate and high maintenance fabric.
You can either hang the burlap from a clothesline or even over the back of a chair. When the burlap is fully dry, you will want to shake it out to remove any lint that has stuck to it.
Can You Ruin your Iron When Ironing Jute or Burlap?
Because of how jute fabric is made, it can be damaging to your iron if you do not iron it correctly.
Jute fibers can get stuck to the bottom of your iron and stick there, which in turn can cause great damage to your iron.
If you attempt to iron your burlap and you use the iron directly on your burlap, primarily if you use steam or scotch guard, you could definitely ruin your iron.
So how do you iron your jute fabric safely?
- Have a squirt bottle that is full of water.
- Find a scrap of fabric such as muslin or an old t-shirt.
- Place your scrap of fabric over the burlap on the ironing board.
- Spray a generous amount of water over a scrap of fabric so that it soaks through.
- Have your iron on the highest temperature setting.
- Iron the scrap piece of fabric over and over until your burlap is wrinkle-free.
Make sure when you are ironing, you keep the scrap fabric wet with the squirt bottle.
Can You Oron a Burlap Tablecloth?
Ironing a burlap tablecloth is no different than ironing any other piece of jute/burlap fabric.
You can iron a tablecloth using the steps listed above.
The only considerations you will have to make in regards to a tablecloth is for the size. If you do not have a large enough piece of scrap fabric, you might have to iron in sections.
It is also a good idea to make sure that you keep the spray bottle handy so that you can make sure the section that you are working on is sufficiently damp.
Can I Steam Burlap?
It is best not to use an iron directly over burlap, and instead follow the previously stated directions.
If you need to get a wrinkle out quickly, you can set your iron for the highest level of steam.
If you choose to iron directly on burlap, you won’t want to let the iron linger anywhere too long. In addition to having your burlap on the highest steam setting, you can also use a spray bottle full of water to properly dampen the fabric.
If you have a steamer, this is a very easy way to get any wrinkles or creases out of your burlap fabric. To steam your burlap, you will hand it and run the steamer over it until the wrinkles have worked their way out.
Don’t Have a Steamer?
There is always the old fashioned way to steam burlap as long as your item isn’t too big.
Using the steam from an electric tea kettle is an excellent alternative to an actual steamer.
To use a tea kettle to steam clothes, you will simply need to boil water in your kettle and then hold your clothing or another item over it.
This works great for smaller items, but it would be complicated to steam something as large as a tablecloth using this method.
What is the Best Way to Remove Wrinkles From Jute Fabric?
The best way to remove wrinkles from jute fabric really depends on what type of item you are working with and what you have at your disposal.
There is not another way besides ironing or steaming that is really effective when it comes to removing wrinkles from burlap.
If all you have is an iron, than following the proper ironing technique is going to be the best way for you to get the wrinkles out of your fabric.
If you have a steamer, this is the most comfortable and least risky way to get any creases or wrinkles out of your burlap fabric for you.
Either way, make sure you are paying close attention to what you are doing so that you do not ruin your fabric or your iron.