Synthrapol and Sizing

Natural Linen Tea Towels piled up and ready to be hemmed

After cutting the linen, I like to hem the tea towels. When there is a good size pile of them, I throw the lot into the washing machine with some synthrapol which is a detergent that removes the sizing from new fabrics. (It is also used by natural dyers as its chemistry allows fabric to better absorb the dye.) Once the sizing has been removed, the fabric is more supple which allows for a better print. I have recently learned that there is another product that can do this but I haven't as yet tried them.