Care
Hand work outlives you if you let it
These pieces are meant to be used, not kept in tissue. Five habits are all it takes for one to reach the next person in better shape than most new things.
Cool water · mild soap · no soaking
Wash it by hand, rarely
Spot clean with cool water and a drop of mild soap, and only wash the whole piece when it genuinely needs it. Never soak silk floss — the dye in madder and indigo threads will bleed into the ground cloth and it does not come back out.
Flat · shade · never wrung
Dry flat, out of the sun
Press the piece between two clean towels to take the water out, reshape it while damp, and dry it flat in shade. Wringing it twists the stitch tension permanently, and direct sun takes the top off every colour in the band within a season.
Reverse side · warm · cotton cloth
Iron from the back
A warm iron on the reverse, with a cotton cloth between, keeps the stitches raised. Ironing the front flattens the satin work and takes the light out of it. Go around mirror discs rather than over them.
Cotton bag · loose fold · refold yearly
Store it loose
Fold loosely in a cotton bag with room to breathe — plastic traps damp and damp is what rots thread. Keep embellished pieces apart so mirror discs cannot scratch the satin stitch beside them. Refold along a different line once a year so no crease becomes permanent.
Any age · postage and materials only
Repair it, do not retire it
A pulled thread or a lost mirror is ordinary wear on work like this. Photograph it and send it to us whenever it happens. We will either talk you through the fix or take the piece back and have the maker do it properly.
Not sure about your piece?
Send a photograph and tell us what you are worried about. Someone who has actually held the piece will answer.
Ask the workshop