Art, Textile & Sound Installation - 'CONTAMINATION' - Sept. 5th - 28th, 2024 - Kulturhalle Tübingen - INFO SOON
Fabrics that echo the landscapes of their origin
Our collections are now available at BOTHO in Tübingen - Beim Nonnenhaus 7

Your wool garment need not and should not be washed after every wear. A simple airing outside is sometimes all you need.

Stains

Spot wash, but be careful not to scrub, as it can felt the fibres together. Dab the stain with a clean cloth and some cool water, and then lay flat to dry.

Despite each finished textile going through a rigorous final check before being sent to us in Germany, you may still find the odd bit of vegetable matter left in your garment.

We like to think of this as a whisper from the mountainous grasslands where the sheep graze.

When it’s time for your garment to have a bath, follow the guide below:

How to wash your woollens

Undyed textiles

Immerse your garment in a tub of warm water for 15-20 minutes, using a no-rinse wool wash or mild unscented eco detergent.

Warm water allows the wool fibres to open up and release any dirt and dust that have accumulated in your garment.

Do not swish, agitate, or wring!! 

If rinsing is required: 

  • Gently remove your garment from the tub, and gently squeeze out excess water.
  • Refill the tub with clean water, matching the water temperature of the previous soak.
  • Put your garment back in the tub.
  • Repeat this step as needed, until the water is clear.

Gently remove your garment from the tub. Roll it up in a towel and squeeze to remove excess water. Lay flat to dry and reshape your garment.

Do not hang to dry.

Naturally Dyed Garments

Natural dyed products should be washed in COLD water.

To preserve the natural dye colours for longer, try not using a detergent.

Use the same method as above for undyed garments, but DO NOT SOAK.

You can expect some dye run off, which will slowly dissipate with each wash.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE HOW WE WASH A PAIR OF OUR NATURALLY DYED LEG WARMERS, CHECK OUT OUR HOW  TO VIDEO ON YOUTUBE.

Mending

Waste is a very big problem in the fashion industry. Out of respect for the environment and respect for the effort that went into making each of our garments using traditional slow craft methods, we encourage you to mend your garments to help them to last as long as possible.

We strive to make our garments as durable as possible. Minimal washing and making the effort to repair your garment will further ensure it has a good long life, and helps to limit the amount of waste contributed by the fashion industry. 

Holes in socks or the threadbare cuff of a well-loved sweater is a sign your garment is doing its best as a favourite part of your wardrobe!

To encourage mending and repair, we include a length of yarn with each garment purchase for mending purposes. However, you can use any wool yarn to repair your garment. Choose contrasting colours for fun.  

You will need a tapestry or darning needle – a blunt needle with an eye large enough for yarn. There are countless instruction videos online – search for ‘darning’. There are also many beautiful mending books on the market.

For socks and mitts you can use a darning egg or darning mushroom, or any other round surface that fits inside. Use a flat surface like a book for larger knits that need mending.

Pilling

Those pesky little balls of wool that show up in high friction spots on your garment…..

When a sheep is shorn, there are often bits of shorter fleece that remain with the more desirable longer fibres. If the short fibres make it past the cleaning and carding process, they are spun into the yarn, knit into the garment,and can start to make their way to the surface of your garment wherever rubbing occurs.

The good news is that there are a limited number of these little tangled tufts, so if you use a pill remover (there are many in the marketplace), being careful not to cut into the yarn, at some point it will stop pilling. You can also pick them out by hand.

We do everything we can to produce garments that pill less, but some level of pilling is quite normal. Whether a garment will pill or not depends on how the yarn is spun, the fleece characteristics of the specific sheep breed, carding, the skill level of the shearer, the method used to shear and how the garment is worn.

Storage

Store your clean and dry woolens in air tight containers over the summer months to keep them free from moths and other wool-loving insects. Store them folded and out of direct sunlight. Bring them out and give them an airing (preferably outside) so the fibres can breathe and expand again when sweater weather arrives!

You can also tuck naturally fragrant products such as vetiver, lavender and cedar in with your woolens, all of which are moth repellent.

Circularity

From the land to the artisan, from the artisan to the customer, and back to the land.

Many skilled and hardworking hands worked together to create your beautiful textile or garment. It deserves to be used until it cannot be used anymore.

Although we wish that each one of the products we produce is loved until it is threadbare, sometimes a piece needs to move on from your closet.

 Try to pass it on to someone who will cherish it. There are a multitude of options in the second hand market for selling or trading, or perhaps a good friend might love it. 

Too worn out or sitting in the back of your closet, but still something you love and cherish? There are many ways you can upcycle woolens, including felting the fabric, recycling the yarn or repurposing it in a creative way.

When your garment or textile reaches its end of life:

We’d love to be able to say that everything we make lasts forever…..

The good news?

Natural wool is 100% biodegradable.

It can be composted or put out in the garden to return back to the earth as nourishment. That’s right, food for the earth.

Be sure to cut it into little pieces so it can break down more quickly.

Cotton Care Guide