Laundry Instructions for Hand-Embroidered Clothing

This is the whole routine, in the order you'd do it. If all you want to know is whether the washing machine is safe, that question has its own page.

1. Before the wash

• Turn it inside out. The stitching faces inward, away from the drum and from other clothes.
• Sort by colour. Darks with darks, especially for the first few washes of a black tee with pale thread.
• Keep rough things out of the load. Zips, hooks, rivets and towels scrape and snag.
• Look for a loose thread. Ease it through to the back with a blunt needle. Don't cut it and don't pull it.
• Treat stains first. Blot the mark, work in one drop of mild detergent with a fingertip, and rinse cold. Work around the motif, never across it.

2. Washing

In the machine

1. Put the piece in a mesh laundry bag.
2. Choose the delicate, hand-wash or wool cycle.
3. Set the temperature to 30°C or below.
4. Bring the spin down to 600 rpm or less.
5. Use a mild liquid detergent, and leave out the bleach and the fabric softener.

By hand

1. Fill a basin with cold water and a little mild detergent.
2. Swish the piece gently for a few minutes. Don't scrub the embroidery.
3. Let it soak for ten minutes if it needs it.
4. Rinse in clean cold water until the water runs clear.
5. Lift it out with both hands, so the wet weight doesn't hang from the stitched area.

For a tee, sweatshirt, hoodie or socks, either method works. Mirror work, beads and anything on silk get washed by hand.

3. Getting the water out

Never wring or twist an embroidered piece. Twisting pulls satin stitch out of line, and it doesn't recover.

Lay the piece flat on a dry towel, put a second towel on top, and press down with your palms. Two or three presses take out most of the water.

4. Drying

• Flat, on a dry towel or a rack, with the motif facing up.
• In shade. Direct sun fades both the thread and the cloth.
• No tumble dryer. Heat and tumbling together are the fastest way to pull a stitched area out of shape.
• Not on a hanger while it's wet. A wet sweatshirt stretches around the embroidery under its own weight.

5. Ironing

Turn the piece inside out and lay it face down on a folded towel, so the stitches sink into the towel while the cloth around them gets pressed flat. Use a medium setting. Steam is fine.

The plate never touches the front of the embroidery, and it never goes over mirror work at all.

6. Storing

Fold tees, sweatshirts and hoodies with the motif facing in. A hanger puts the whole weight of the garment through the shoulders, and on an oversized piece that shows within a season. Shirts can hang, on a wide hanger.

Put pieces away clean and fully dry. How to store and iron hand-embroidered clothes has the longer version.

The routine, piece by piece

Caps and socks behave differently enough to need their own guide.

Six things to stop doing

• Washing hot.
• Using bleach, or a stain pen with brighteners in it.
• Wringing.
• Tumble drying.
• Ironing the front of the stitching.
• Leaving a damp piece in a pile. That's how dye moves from one garment to another.

Watch it done

Frequently asked questions

How do you wash hand-embroidered clothes?

Inside out, in cold water at 30°C or below, with a mild detergent. Wash by hand or on a gentle machine cycle in a mesh bag, press the water out between towels, and dry flat in shade.

Should embroidered clothes be washed inside out?

Yes, every time. It keeps the stitching away from the drum, from zips and from other clothes.

What detergent is safe for embroidery?

A mild liquid detergent. Avoid bleach, stain removers with optical brighteners, and fabric softener, which coats the thread and dulls its colour.

Can you iron over embroidery?

Not on the front. Iron from the reverse with the piece face down on a towel, on a medium setting. Never iron over mirror work.

How do you dry an embroidered sweatshirt?

Press the water out between two towels, then dry it flat in shade with the motif facing up. Don't hang it wet and don't tumble dry it.

How should hand-embroidered clothes be stored?

Clean, fully dry and folded, with the motif facing in. Hanging stretches knit fabric around the embroidery over time.