Do I need to pre-wash your linen before use?
There is no need to wash our linen before use.
Most linen has a sizing applied by the manufacturer, to give it stiffness. Some stitchers don’t like this and wash the linen before use to make it softer. With hand-dyed linens this sizing is removed by the first wash in the dying process.
Are your hand-dyed linens colourfast and lightfast?
We use industry standard fixative to fix our dyes, but the answer will always be “as colourfast and as lightfast as we can make them.”
The reason for this is that we dye in small batches, using a variety of techniques to achieve the look that we want. No two pieces of our linen are the same. This means that sometimes, we use different dying techniques and dyes from different manufacturers on the same length of linen to create the look that we want.
Whilst we use industry standard fixatives, there is always the possibility that there could be some slight bleed, ruining the effect of your fabric.
We put a “Do Not Wash” instruction on our linen and washing is undertaken at your own risk.
Should I wash my sampler after stitching it?
This is one that is always up for debate! From a hand-dyed linen perspective we would say an emphatic “NO”, for all the reasons given in the above questions.
There is also the additional threat of bleed from any threads that you have used. Some colours, such as red are notorious for this.
Unless there has been some accident with your finished piece that necessitates washing then our advice is leave well alone.
What sizes does your linen come in?
Please refer to the page on Linen Sizes
