Services

Knit Blocking & St. John Knits

Ship Shape Knitcare

For many of our clients, sweaters and knits constitute a significant portion of their wardrobe investment.

There's alpaca, angora, camelhair, cashmere, escorial, marino, mohair, vicuna and other fine wools. From the likes of Ballantyne, Belinda Robinson, Escada, Gucci, Hermes, Jean Muir, John Laing, Loro Piana, Missoni, N. Peal, Pringle, Ralph Lauren, TSE and St. John Knits.

At RAVE FabriCARE, our cleaning process for sweaters and knits is unmatched anywhere in Arizona. Our blocking procedures provide you with the assurance of a perfect fit. And our packaging methods help you maintain their shape.

Simply put, you can trust RAVE FabriCARE to keep all your sweaters and knits in ship shape condition.

Blocking

At RAVE FabriCARE, every sweater and knit garment is carefully measured prior to cleaning. After cleaning, your sweaters and knits are depilled, delinted and blocked to your original measurements.

Blocking involves:

  • Measuring all dimensions of a garment prior to cleaning.
  • Maintaining a record of all those dimensions.
  • Shaping the garment to those original measurements, using hands and steam.
  • Applying a vacuum to "dry" the steam and "lock" the shape into place.

All our sweaters and knits are finished on custom steam/vacuum tables. This way the entire garment can be laid perfectly flat and blocked to shape using steam and vacuum.

Very few cleaners actually block their sweaters and knits. And even fewer have specialized blocking equipment necessary to do the job right. Other than RAVE FabriCARE, we know of no other cleaner in the metro Phoenix area that has this equipment.

"Insist on proof of blocking. Because claims without proof are just hallucinations."

At RAVE FabriCARE, proof of blocking accompanies every sweater and knit garment. Here's how it works.

We use four different custom printed blocking tags -- for sweaters/blazers, slacks/trousers, dresses and skirts. Prior to cleaning, every sweater and knit garment is carefully measured (up to 12 different dimensions). These dimensions are noted on the appropriate blocking tag.

The blocking tag accompanies your garment through the entire cleaning, finishing, inspection and packaging process. At the packaging stage, we hang the blocking tag on your garment hanger or place it in your breathable sweater bag.

While many ordinary cleaners claim that they block their sweaters and knits, RAVE FabriCARE puts proof of blocking right in your hands. Because claims without proof are just hallucinations.

Corrective Reblocking

Are any of your sweaters or knits out of shape?

In many cases, sweaters and knits can be reblocked to your desired and/or original measurements.

To facilitate reblocking, attach one of our convenient blocking diagrams to your garment. To view and print these diagrams, click on any one of the diagrams below:

  • Sweater/blazer
  • Trouser/slacks
  • Skirt
  • Dress

Then mark up the diagram to reflect the changes you desire.

For example, if you wish to reblock the sleeves of your blazer 1-1/2 inches longer and the waist 1 inch wider

  • Print the sweater/blazer diagram
  • Enter the garment description, such as brand name and color
  • Circle the sleeve length (#7) and write "make 1-1/2 inches longer" next to #7
  • Circle the waist (#3) and write "make 1 inch wider" next to #3
  • Attach diagram to your blazer.

It's really that simple.

Keeping Shape

To keep the shape of your sweaters and knits during storage, we recommend that your sweaters and knits be carefully folded, cushioned with acid free tissue, and packaged in one of our custom-designed breathable sweater bags.

For more information on our breathable sweater bags and how to purchase our breathable sweater bags and other specialty storage solutions, please click here.

Caring for St. John Knits

At RAVE FabriCARE, we've specialized in St. John Knits for many years.

Truth is, this specialization is merely an extension of the extraordinary care we lavish on all your specialty garments with trim or embellishments.

At RAVE FabriCARE, every St. John Knit is:

  • Protected against scratching or chipping of the buttons, zipper pulls and other hardware..
  • Measured prior to cleaning.
  • Prespotted prior to cleaning.
  • Cleaned in drycleaning fluid that's extremely gentle on the garment and on the glued-on pailettes and/or rhinestones, if any.
  • Cleaned in drycleaning fluid that's completely odorless.
  • Cleaned in drycleaning fluid that's as crystal clear as bottled mountain spring water.
  • Blocked to size after cleaning.
  • Carefully and thoroughly inspected. From top to bottom. From inside to outside.
  • Elegantly packaged using only premium materials.

All this means that:

  • Your St. John Knits will fit perfectly.
  • Your white, cream and pastel St. John Knits will always be spectactularly bright (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).
  • Your dark colored St. John Knits will always look rich and lustrous, without that "washed out", faded look (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).
  • The light colored edging on your dark colored St. John Knits won't turn greyish or dingy (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).
  • Your St. John Knits will never have any "drycleaning solvent" smell, or any fragrance or perfume smell.
  • The glued-on pailettes and/or rhinestones on your St. John Knits won't peel off or lose their luster (as long as they've always been cleaned at RAVE FabriCARE).

At RAVE FabriCARE, our care for St. John Knits is unmatched anywhere in Arizona.

Restoring St. John Knits

At RAVE FabriCARE, we may be able to rejuvenate, or even fully restore, your pailette-free, rhinestone-free, white, cream or pastel St. John Knit outfits that have become yellow, grey, dull or stained due to improper cleaning or storage.

Our special whitening and brightening processes may be able to bring them back to life.

For two or three piece St. John Knit outfits, we must be able to treat all pieces of the outfit at the same time to ensure consistency of color.

At RAVE FabriCARE, our strength is our personalized advisory service. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your options, advise you as to any risks associated with each option, and identify the results you can or cannot expect from each.