I just today got an email from a customer who needed some laundry care help. They had run their partner’s doublet through the wash, and the dryer too. The doublet came out looking like a tangled mess and they were understandably upset that the garment was ruined. It was not, thankfully. It just needs proper laundry care to be fully awesome again.
That got me thinking however; in this age where most everyone wears knits and tshirts, that laundry care for woven and lined garments isn’t well known. Most clothing in 2024 is cheap and disposable, many people have never had to think about this stuff. The items you purchase from me are neither cheap nor disposable, wrecking them in the laundry is traumatic and costly. And so this post is I hope, helpful and reassuring.
The Basics:
This is the Good Stuff. All the clothing I make is pre-shrunk. The fabric goes into the wash and the dryer before I cut it. Unless specified, the costume pieces are made of linen or a linen blend. I do make cotton shirts and bodices from cotton twill, but the advice remain the same. The biggest note here is that you will need an IRON for best results. Natural fibers like linen, linen blends, and cotton relax a bit when you wear them. Its part of the comfort. So when its washed it will constrict again, like your jeans do. Part of this expansion/contraction is that steam and heat will bring things together and correct any inconsistencies.
The Care:
If a garment is not stained, spilled on, or grungy you can turn it inside out and put it on a hanger outside for a day. The sunlight will literally disinfect the smelly bacteria from your sweat. This is for garments that are not touching your skin. Like a doublet or a bodice or a skirt. Optional: Give it a nice light steam iron when you fold it to put it away.
For garments that touch your skin like breeches or shirts, wash them. Cold/cool gentle cycle in the washer machine. If its really icky hot water is okay. Then hang dry. Once dry a little shake out, fold and put away. Again Optional: Maybe a light iron for tidy collars or cuffs.
If you need to wash something out of your garment, lunch or a spill of some kind, and its got a lining you will for sure need to IRON it. If you toss it in the dryer this will be even more needed because its getting tossed around and jumbled. Try to avoid this by gentle or hand wash and hang dry. Yes, you will still need to iron, but not as much.
If your garment has boning or extensive trim, do not put in a machine. Ever. Air it out or hand wash is mandatory. Hang dry and steam iron to get the garment back in shape.
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Thanks for reading! I hope this info will give your costume garments a longer life and you’ll love them like I do. Please share this with your friends and family, your guild mates, your cosplay people. And as always if you need help or just want to get in touch, I’m on Facebook and you can email me here.
Alicia is new to me, but not new to faire. She has worked a solid 12 seasons so far. In food booths, even in the reptile zoo. Perseverance! She came to me in response to a post I made about needing help, and let me know she wants to learn. To be trusted to do things like handle money. To be more than just a body. I’m thinking this is just about perfect. I have been hoping for someone I can train up and rely on.
I am getting my inventory plumped up at last. The latest and greatest on my website for this renaissance faire season are these faboo(tm) 
And, just for fun here is a picture of me I think in 2009 wearing my favorite renaissance faire dress of all time. This rust colored linen fabric was so awesome. Its gone now, I finally wore it out. I only hope to find the perfect fabric again.