Fabric Care

In a world filled with synthetic fibers, learning how to care properly for natural fibers and fabrics can be confusing.  This is particularly true for any hand crafted items you’ve made, when you’ve spent hours creating something special the last thing you want to do is ruin it in the wash! 

Pair our products with the following tips and washing your hand made items will become simple and worry free.  Please keep in mind that these are general tips and there can be exceptions to them, when in doubt err on the side of caution.  Hand washing in cold with a material appropriate soap is always your safest option. 

Just like a cotton t-shirt, most cotton items do fine in the washer and dryer.  Use a cool water wash and a low heat setting in the dryer to reduce wear and fading in your items.   You will have some initial shrinkage and that is normal, so make sure you always make a swatch/sample and wash and dry it then measure for shrinkage before committing to your full project!  The last thing you want to have happen is for something to end up a couple inches too small after washing. 

Wool items should be hand washed in cool with a wool safe soap and not put in the dryer to prevent felting and shrinkage.  Superwash wool items can be put in the washer on cool temperatures and some say that they are safe to put in the dryer as well. Read your yarn labels carefully to see what the manufacturer recommends as some superwash wools will still shrink a little when washed.  When in doubt, hand wash in cold and air dry.

The last thing we recommend is to use a dye catcher in your wash the first couple times you wash a handmade item, particularly if you have light and dark colors in the finished product.  Many dyes will run the first time you wash them and a dye catcher will protect your item from the dye bleeding off.  It’s not something we carry but you can find them in the laundry aisle of your local grocery store. We offer a variety of fiber and fabric care products and washes for all the crafts that The Woolery highlights. Please feel free to let us know if there is something we should add to our catalog.

If you don't find exactly what you want, or would like a product recommendation, please call the shop directly at 800-441-9665 or contact us for assistance.