I love to sew and make clothes for my family. Even though I finish all the seams I have found that some of these items do not hold up to frequent washing and drying. Now I wash my garments on the gentle cycle and dry on a drying rack. The clothes look great and should last through many kids.
As a side note, I have a HE washing machine and have found that I am able to wash all of our dry clean only clothes on the gentle cycle as long as I air dry. I am not suggesting that you throw your wedding dress in the washer, but it might be worth trying on certain items. I have washed a suit coat, wool skirts, cashmere sweaters, and costumes in my washer without damage to the fabric.
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I’ll have to keep this in mind. Thanks.
I wash everything. I haven’t had too much trouble with things not holding up in the washer but then I prefer to work with stretchy materials–not sure if that makes a difference.
Great idea. I’ll have to try it!