Question about ironing fabric—small creases everywhere

Hello, everyone.
Maybe someone can help me.
I decided quite a while ago to sew myself a skirt. I bought the fabric for it some time ago and wanted to prepare it now—that is, wash and iron it. Now I have the problem that the fabric (viscose) is still very wrinkled after ironing.
I’ve tried placing a damp towel on top, re-dampening the fabric, and using different ironing boards—I’ve tried everything—but there are still these little wrinkles all over it. (It looks a little bit like crepe paper.)
Does anyone have any other ideas on how I can get the fabric smooth again?

Here’s a picture. (The fabric is actually blue.)

In the upper left corner, it’s become quite smooth again, but everywhere else, there are those little creases.

Hi Katharie,

it looks like the fabric didn’t handle the ironing well…and some individual fibers have melted, which is now causing this “crepe effect.”
How does the fabric feel in those spots?
I’d try washing it again. If the creases are still there, see above…

Best regards

I once had a beautiful blouse made from fabric like this. I washed it once, and then the fabric looked just like this. Somehow too much heat—either during washing or ironing. Once the fibers have shrunk (they also get a little stiffer), they probably won’t unfold like they did before. But I’m no expert.

Maybe our sewing pro Inge (Akela) has some advice.

Love, Ina

Thank you so, so much for the replies!
I’ll definitely try washing it again.

The creases, as you can see, were already there right after washing and drying. Ironing got rid of a few of them, but not many.

If it really doesn’t work out, I can always make a petticoat out of it.

LG

Hang the fabric up soaking wet; that way it usually dries smooth. Then don’t put the iron directly on the fabric, just smooth it with a jet of steam. That should make it smooth again. BUT if you already damaged the fibers during the first wash, you can try whatever you can think of—there’s nothing left to save then; those little creases will stay with you.

Best regards, Inge

OK. Thanks so much for the reply.
I washed it on the wool/delicate cycle at 30 degrees, but maybe it was the spin cycle. For some reason, the machine wouldn’t go any lower than 600 revolutions.
I’ll give it a try, and if it doesn’t work, at least it was a good learning experience, and I’ll still make something out of the fabric.

Best regards

Dear Katharie,

No matter how this turns out, if the fabric changes this much after just the first wash, then caring for it later would have been very time-consuming anyway.

I don’t think it was because of the washing machine’s 600 RPM. There are also different fabric qualities, even though they’re all marketed under the name “viscose.” There are certainly various manufacturing methods that ultimately make the fabrics different. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving—and there’s no way to check that beforehand. So you didn’t do anything wrong; you’ve just gained some experience.

Best wishes, Ina