Care tips

Feel free to use Sarah's embroidered creations in your daily life!

Hemp, linen, and cotton fabrics are thick, robust, and durable materials; machine washing is no problem for them! The embroidery is done with a thick cotton thread, and the color does not bleed during washing.

For the maintenance of these sensitive works, just adopt some grandmother's tricks and use natural and ecological products such as Marseille soap, ox gall, Sommières earth, or even baking soda, lemon, and white vinegar.

Here are some good homemade recipes to preserve the life of your naturally colored embroidered linen WITHOUT DYE. First and foremost, know that the sooner you treat a stain, the easier it will be to get rid of it! Never use hot water on a stain; you will only set it, and do not use bleach, as it would damage the fabric. Start by gently removing the excess without spreading it.

Next, for each type of stain, there's a miracle product!

— ON GREASE STAINS (butter, oil, etc.), "Terre de Sommières" is an ideal dry stain remover. Simply sprinkle it generously on the stain and let it sit for a few hours before shaking the fabric to remove the powder.

Terre de Sommières is also available in stick form. Dampen the stain and rub in a circular motion directly with the stick, same with . Let it sit for 15 minutes, then rub the area lightly again and rinse. Put the fabric in the machine if necessary. You can also use "Fiel de boeuf" in the same way, it's very effective!

— ON FOOD, GRASS, OR BLOOD STAINS, nothing beats good old Marseille soap. Rub the fabric with your moistened soap, then rinse with cold water. If the stain is embedded, soak it in a mixture of water and diluted Marseille soap shavings.

— ON RED FRUIT STAINS, a real nightmare! Rub the stain with lemon juice or white vinegar before putting your fabric in the machine.

— COFFEE AND TEA STAINS, after lunch with friends! Here too, use lemon juice and put your laundry in the machine.

— Another nightmare, WINE STAINS! If it is recent, start by absorbing the liquid with flour or cornstarch. Once dry, clean gently by tapping with water mixed with Marseille soap before putting it in the machine. If the stain is embedded, use pure white vinegar and let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour before washing your laundry in the machine.

For machine washing, adopting a few gestures will prolong the beauty of your embroidered linen.

Start by placing it in a special delicate laundry bag, or if you don't have one, a pillowcase or duvet cover will do just fine. This will prevent the embroidery threads from being damaged by the friction of the laundry against the drum.

Prefer a cold wash or a maximum of 30°C, selecting a "delicate" program without spinning or the gentlest possible. This will prevent the fibers from breaking. Your embroidery is now clean; spread it carefully away from any heat source and in the shade if outdoors. The image of a sheet drying in the sun is certainly idyllic, but the sun is formidable with colors, even the lightest ones.

To facilitate the ironing of your embroidered linen, do not let it dry completely, or lightly moisten it with a sprayer. Iron on the reverse side of the embroidery with a hot iron and full steam.

There are also some good practices to adopt when washing pieces with NATURAL DYE.
 

Never try to remove stains of any kind; this could risk discoloring the fabric at the stain. Place your laundry directly in the machine with the same precautions as those given for washing non-dyed pieces. You will see that the stains will eventually disappear on their own with each wash. 

To prevent colors from fading, hang your embroidered linen in the shade and iron it with a medium-temperature iron. To maintain its original brilliance and prevent the fabric from yellowing at the folds, store your embroidery away from sunlight in a closet or box.

Photo credit: Maxime Verret, Sabrina Hadj-Hacene