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Forum -> Judaism -> Halachic Questions and Discussions
Kosher sewing



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water_bear88




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 8:05 am
I've mostly sewn with cotton and synthetics in the past, but I'm trying to get into more natural fibers and cotton isn't always the right choice.

If you sew at all with linen and/or wool, what steps do you take to keep your sewing room "kosher"?
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thunderstorm




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 8:19 am
This is a most interesting question. I've never thought of it. Following....
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singleagain




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 9:11 am
I would get storage boxes and clearly label them with what fiber is in them. I'm sure if you google sewing storage you'll find boxes of varying shapes and sizes and compartments.

why should it be much different than differentiating between meat and dairy?
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 9:34 am
I'm not a sewer but many men and women in my family were. They would just not mix the unmixable.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 9:39 am
The thread is usually synthetic or cotton. That's where the issue really lies. You can't wear the two together in a way that's not separable. Like a wool vest over a linen shirt or a wool shirt sewn with linen thread or a button attached with linen thread. Lint is not an issue.
Call your local shaatnez tester for a full run down of the halachos. From my understanding it's not so complex.
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water_bear88




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 10:22 am
Iymnok wrote:
The thread is usually synthetic or cotton. That's where the issue really lies. You can't wear the two together in a way that's not separable. Like a wool vest over a linen shirt or a wool shirt sewn with linen thread or a button attached with linen thread. Lint is not an issue.
Call your local shaatnez tester for a full run down of the halachos. From my understanding it's not so complex.

Lint was my main concern- I almost always use polyester thread since it works well in most applications and don't want to get mixed up and use a cotton thread on a stretchy knit fabric.

I sewed some Chanuka presents for family one year with polar fleece and it left a TON of lint I'm still finding bits of. It's really not an issue (as far as you know) if, say, wool felt fibers get stuck in my cutting mat and a month or two later I want to cut linen? Will local shatnez testers know about what fabrics need testing, like interfacing, or whether "cotton" fabric bought online from China needs testing?
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water_bear88




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 10:29 am
singleagain wrote:
I would get storage boxes and clearly label them with what fiber is in them. I'm sure if you google sewing storage you'll find boxes of varying shapes and sizes and compartments.

why should it be much different than differentiating between meat and dairy?

Because I keep a much neater kitchen than sewing area! Spills get germy, smell, or attract vermin, and I don't keep leftovers for longer than I'd remember what's in them even if the containers weren't clearly marked.

I have bags and containers with mixed scraps and I don't always clean my cutting mat as religiously as I should (no pun intended). Separate, marked containers for wool and linen are a good idea, though.
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gila-rina




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 11:05 am
it could be easier to just work with linen or wool, not both, to save yourself the bother.
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water_bear88




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 11:13 am
gila-rina wrote:
it could be easier to just work with linen or wool, not both, to save yourself the bother.

True, but how many people do that in their kitchen, as easy as that would make things? Either way, most of my sewing will probably stay "pareve" and I'm unlikely to have successive sewing projects be wool-linen or linen-wool.
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amother
Seafoam


 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 2:39 pm
Interesting question.
Do the clothing companies "kasher" their machinery between batches? I'm sure they dont.

I used to sew a lot, but I never really used linen.
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thunderstorm




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 3:20 pm
Do you sewers check your fabrics for shatnes prior to sewing?? Such as a wool fabric?
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tf




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 22 2017, 5:31 pm
Shatnes is only usser to wear. Nothing in the sewing room gets "non kosher" when both fabrics are together.
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MiriamBatya1997




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 23 2022, 9:22 pm
water_bear88 wrote:
I've mostly sewn with cotton and synthetics in the past, but I'm trying to get into more natural fibers and cotton isn't always the right choice.

If you sew at all with linen and/or wool, what steps do you take to keep your sewing room "kosher"?

First, since it wrinkles so much, I don’t sew linen or linen blends.
I usually buy fabric from vendors I trust. If I’m in doubt, you can take a 1 inch snip, hold it in tweezers and burn it. Different fibers leave different ash. This is less clear in mixed fabrics, say a boucle.
Interfacing, especially for tailoring, is the big issue as horsehair canvas is traditionally wool and linen. I have seen vendors selling Kosher canvas. Wawak sells many interfacings and the fiber contents are listed. So I just don’t buy anything with linen.
I live in the South where it is summer 8-9 months of the year. So usually I buy cottons, rayons, and specialty fabrics like boucle are easy to find without linen. Linen is perfect for the climate but always looks wrinkled, lol. Hope that helps.
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MiriamBatya1997




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 23 2022, 9:23 pm
Iymnok wrote:
The thread is usually synthetic or cotton. That's where the issue really lies. You can't wear the two together in a way that's not separable. Like a wool vest over a linen shirt or a wool shirt sewn with linen thread or a button attached with linen thread. Lint is not an issue.
Call your local shaatnez tester for a full run down of the halachos. From my understanding it's not so complex.

Does anyone know of a text that covers this? I would love to read it.
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MiriamBatya1997




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 23 2022, 9:27 pm
thunderstorm wrote:
Do you sewers check your fabrics for shatnes prior to sewing?? Such as a wool fabric?

Only in the sense that I make sure I’m not ordering fabric with them mixed. I was more concerned about interfacing and shoulder pads, sleeve heads because they are traditionally made of mixed fiber.
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