Caring for your Fabric

A concise guide to caring for your new fabrics. We always recommend a little bit of research into specialist textiles, but you can find the basics below;

Cotton:

Cold machine wash to ensure longevity. Dry clean friendly. For textured or delicate cottons such as Broderie Anglaise or voiles, hand washing is also recommended. Mid to heavy weight cottons can be tumble dried, although line drying is best for all cottons. Use a warm/hot iron to press.

Linen:

Cold hand wash or gentle machine wash with similar colours. Dry clean friendly. Avoid bleaching or abrasive detergents. Remove from wash immediately to avoid deep creasing. Dry in shade and avoid wringing. Best not to tumble dry. Use a warm/hot iron with high steam to press.

Silk:

Cold hand wash with gentle detergent or dry clean only. Spot clean where possible, the less washing the better. For super delicate silks such as habotai or chiffon, dry clean only. Do not bleach or tumble dry. Dry flat in the shade and avoid wringing. Use a warm iron on reverse side to press.

Viscose:

Cold machine or hand wash with similar colours. Dry clean friendly. Avoid bleaching and wringing. Best not to tumble dry, line dry in the shade if possible. Warm iron on reverse side to press.

Wool:

Dry clean only, use a damp cloth with no detergent to spot clean if necessary. Do not iron, use a steamer on reverse side to remove creasing. Hanging in a steamy bathroom can also remove light creasing and help lift surface dirt. 

Merino:

Cold hand wash or gentle/wool cycle machine wash. To stop fabric warping, use a wash bag. Use a wool or gentle detergent. Do not tumble dry, dry flat in shade and avoid line drying or hanging. Use a warm iron with minimal steam to press.

Knits:

Cold hand or machine wash. To stop fabric warping, use a wash bag. Do not tumble dry, dry flat in shade and avoid line drying or hanging. Use a warm to hot iron to press.

Polyester:

Machine wash and dry clean friendly. Cool tumble dry or line dry. Use a cool to warm iron on reverse side to press. 

Specialist fabrics

Velvet:

Dry clean only, avoid spot cleaning. To ensure pile stays plush, do not iron or crush fabric. Steam on reverse side to remove creasing, or hang on a padded hanger in a steamy bathroom. If possible, keep fabric rolled and not folded. Velvet garments are best kept hanging. 

Selvedge Denim:

If possible for initial wash, wash flat in a large tub to remove excess dye run. If washing in a machine, remove immediately from wash to avoid crease staining. Denim requires little washing and should only be washed if soiled. Spot clean with a damp cloth if necessary. Freezing denim garments helps to kill bacteria and remove odour. Hot iron on reverse to press. 

Pre-washing Fabrics

As a general rule we recommend pre-washing any fabric before sewing as you intend to care for your garment. If your fabric is dry clean only, it does not require pre-washing.