A word about our fabrics.
We are providing this page, because we believe in providing you, our customers, with the best knowledge we have available, to answer your questions and help you make informed choices when ordering from us.
Because all of our fabrics are 100% cotton, or at least partly cotton, it is normal to expect a certain amount of shrinkage in laundering. It's just the nature of fabrics, that they react to water and heat, from washing, drying, and ironing (with our without water spray or mist). Based upon our twenty-odd years of sewing experience, and more importantly upon what our customers tell us (and what we overhear them telling their friends!) shrinkage is not generally a problem. (Click here for care instructions for our items.)
We do not prewash our fabrics before use. We are quite familiar with the ones we have used over the years, though, and have found a few which shrank too much. (We've even found a few which expand when wet!) Each time we discover one with an unacceptable amount of shrinkage (or spread), our preference is to drop it from our line. If we just can't find a replacement - sometimes only one fabric company makes that absolutely perfect color - then we pre-treat the fabric by misting it with water to get the vast majority of the shrinkage out of the way, before we cut and sew it.
Shrinkage depends on the temperatures of wash water, dryer, how long a fabric is left in the dryer (has it been baked dry or removed promptly?), whether the fabric has been ironed and at what temperature. Because there are so many variables involved, most of which are beyond our control, we cannot make any particular warranty as to how much a given fabric will shrink.
Regarding color-fastness: we highly recommend that you separate your colors when laundering, and wash items with similar colors, and in cold water. Our fabric manufacturers pass along the same recommendations. It is common, though for dark or intense fabrics to release dye into the wash water. For this reason, we recommend that you don't order "risky" color combinations (placemats with solid white on one side and bright red on the other, for example). If you order by phone, we will spend a little time talking to you to suggest "safe" color combinations that will suit your needs. Customer service is what we're here for, after all!
We are often asked about fading. All fabrics will, in time, fade, especially if placed in direct sunlight for an extended period. None of our fabrics are suited to outdoors use; for that purpose you need a fabric which is treated to be UV-resistant. We do not carry that type of fabrics, but they can be found at www.glfi.com and probably many other places online. UV-resistant fabrics are much more expensive but well worth the investment, in our opinion.
