Before you use a Sutracraft piece for the first time, give it a careful first wash. This sets the dye and prevents any colour bleeding into your other laundry later.

1. Fill a basin or sink with cold water.
2. Add half a cup of white vinegar.
3. Soak the piece for 30 minutes.
4. Hand-rinse in cold water until the water runs clear.
5. Air-dry in shade.

Some colour will release in this first wash, that's normal, especially with indigo and madder. After the first wash, the dye is set and the piece can go in the machine like any other cotton item.

Machine wash at 40°C with similar colours. Mild detergent, no bleach, no fabric softener (softener coats the cotton fibres and slows the natural softening that happens with use).

Tumble dry on low or line-dry in shade. Avoid direct sunlight for drying, it can fade hand-dyed colours over time.

Warm iron, on the reverse side. The print stays crisper that way.

If you don't iron, the natural crinkle that develops over a few washes is part of the look.

Cool, dry, away from direct sunlight. Folded loosely is better than folded tightly, cotton breathes, and tight folds can crease over years.

If you find a loose thread, clip it with scissors. Don't pull. Hand-stitched edges occasionally have a thread that wants to come out, it's normal, not a defect.

Indigo, madder, and pomegranate dyes will release a small amount of colour in the first wash. This is part of how natural dyes settle, it's not a defect. Always wash a new piece separately the first time, with the vinegar trick described above. After that, the dye is stable.