70 percent wool, 30 percent polyester, bought in October. Six weeks of wear and there are dense little pills along the seatbelt line across the chest and under both arms. Nowhere else. I have not washed it, it has only been brushed. I spent more on this than I usually would and I am trying to work out whether I bought badly or whether every coat does this and people just do not talk about it.
Normal, and the location tells you it is friction rather than a defect. Seatbelt across the chest and arms rubbing the body are the two highest abrasion zones on a coat, and that is where every coat pills first.
What happens is that short fibres work their way to the surface, tangle, and then cannot fall off. Pure wool sheds those pills eventually. Your polyester is stronger than the wool, so it holds the pill on like a little anchor, which is why blends look worse than they wear.
Use a wool comb or a sweater stone, not a battery shaver on high, and go in one direction with the nap. Do it every few weeks rather than in one big session. The rate drops off a lot after the first season once the loose fibres are gone.
Sweater stone was a revelation for me. The battery shavers are faster but they take a millimetre of good fabric with the pills if you lean on them at all.
Comb ordered. Reassuring that it is the seatbelt and not the coat.
Practical bit: a soft seatbelt cover costs a few dollars and stops that band of pilling entirely. I use one on a wool car coat and after two winters the chest is still clean while the underarms have gone as expected.
@seasonalpalette · last yr. · 2 replies
If you want to buy differently next time, the word to look for is worsted rather than woollen. Worsted yarn is combed so the fibres run parallel and the short ones are removed, which is exactly what makes it resist pilling. It also feels smoother and less fluffy in the shop, which people sometimes read as cheaper. Two ply is better than single. None of that helps your current coat, but it changes what you pick up next time.
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@leafspot_lia · last yr.
The fluffy hand feel selling better than the durable one is the whole problem with buying coats in a shop in about one sentence.
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