BUILT TO LAST — AND LIVED IN
Caring for your
Namesake piece.
Good news: our pieces are tougher than you might think. Embroidery is a time-honoured craft that has been around for generations. The structure of the stitches combined with our quality materials, means your keepsake is made to be well used and loved.
Here's all you need to know.
"People are often more cautious than they need to be, embroidery is truly heirloom-quality. Just treat it like the quality piece it is and it'll last beautifully for years."
FOUNDER
HAT COLLECTION
Wear it, live in it,
don't overthink it.
Our hats are made to go everywhere. The embroidery is stitched tightly into the fabric — it's not going anywhere. The main thing to keep in mind is protecting the structure of the hat itself, not the stitching.
✦ CLEANING
Spot clean for everyday marks — it's quick and easy.
A clean damp cloth handles most marks in seconds. A small amount of gentle soap works for anything more stubborn. The embroidery itself is robust — you're not going to damage the stitching by cleaning it. What you want to avoid is fully submerging a structured hat, since water can soften the inner brim and change the shape.
✦ RESHAPING
If the shape shifts, it's an easy fix.
Lightly dampen the inside, reshape with your hands, and sit it on a round surface — a mug or bowl works perfectly. Let it air dry in shape and it'll come back good as new. Hats are more forgiving than people expect.
✦ LOOSE THREADS
See a loose thread? Just cut it.
If you ever notice a small thread end, just snip it with scissors — don't pull it. Our embroidery is locked at every stitch, so cutting a loose end won't cause any unravelling. It's one of the benefits of quality stitching: it's genuinely secure.
"People sometimes treat embroidered pieces like they're fragile, but honestly — the stitching is the toughest part. It's the structure of the hat that needs looking after, not the embroidery. Wear it, love it, spot clean it when needed. That's really it."
FOUNDER
TOTE BAG COLLECTION
Made to be used —
every single day.
Totes are workhorses and ours are built that way. The canvas is durable, the embroidery is firmly stitched, and the whole thing is designed to handle real use. Care is straightforward.
✦ WASHING
Machine wash — it's completely fine.
A cold or cool gentle cycle is all you need. Turn it inside out if you want to be kind to the embroidery, but honestly the stitching can handle a regular wash — it's stitched in deeply and isn't going anywhere. The main thing is avoiding hot washes, which can shrink the canvas and fade colours over time.
✦ DRYING
Air dry — skip the tumble dryer.
Hang it to dry naturally. The tumble dryer won't ruin it, but repeated heat cycles wear canvas fibres down faster than air drying does. Give the handles a gentle tug while it's damp to keep them from crumpling as they dry.
✦ IRONING
Iron on the reverse side of the embroidery.
Linen and canvas press up beautifully. Just flip the tote inside out and iron on the back of the embroidered area rather than directly on top — pressing down on the stitching will flatten the raised texture over time. Everything else can be ironed normally.
✦ LOOSE THREADS
Snip, don't pull.
If you ever spot a small thread end on the embroidery, just cut it with scissors close to the fabric. There's no risk of unravelling — every stitch is independently locked. Pulling a thread is the only thing that can cause a problem, so just snip and move on.
"I use my own tote every week — into the machine when it needs it, hang it to dry, done. The embroidery holds up beautifully because it's stitched with real density. You genuinely don't need to baby it."
FOUNDER
MERINO COLLECTION
Quality merino is
easier than you think.
Merino has a reputation for being high-maintenance, but good quality merino is actually quite forgiving. A few simple habits and it will genuinely get softer and more beautiful over time.
✦ WASHING
Hand wash or a wool cycle — both work well.
Hand wash in cool water with a gentle wool wash for the best result — just move it gently through the water, no wringing or scrubbing. If your machine has a wool or hand-wash cycle on cold, that works too. The key is cool water and low agitation. Hot water and high spin are what cause merino to felt.
✦ DRYING
Lay flat — the one rule worth following.
Roll excess water out in a dry towel, then lay your piece flat to dry in its natural shape. This is genuinely the most important step for merino — hanging it wet puts the weight of the water through the fabric and stretches it. Flat drying takes the same amount of time and keeps the shape perfect.
✦ STORAGE
Fold it — that's all.
Store folded rather than hung — hanging stretches the shoulder area over time. A breathable cotton bag is ideal if you're putting something away for a season. Keep it out of direct sunlight to preserve the thread colours and the fabric. A cedar block nearby is a gentle, natural way to protect from moths.
✦ PILLING
A little pilling is normal — and a quick fix.
Some light pilling in high-friction areas is just merino behaving like merino — it doesn't mean your piece is wearing out. A fabric shaver on a low setting removes pills in minutes and the piece looks brand new. It's worth having one at home if you wear merino regularly.
"Merino gets a reputation for being fussy, but honestly — cool water, lay it flat, done. Once that's second nature it's no more effort than anything else. And the reward is a piece that genuinely gets better with every wash."
FOUNDER
CUSHIONS & PILLOWS
A piece your home
actually lives in.
Organic cotton and linen are both wonderfully easy to care for. Your label has the basics — here's a little more from me.
ORGANIC COTTON PILLOWCASES
✦ WASHING
Machine wash — organic cotton is easy.
Cool or warm gentle cycle, mild detergent. Organic cotton washes beautifully and actually softens with every wash. The embroidery is firmly stitched and handles machine washing well — what you're protecting is the fabric, not the stitching. Skip the hot wash to keep colours vivid.
✦ DRYING
Tumble dry low, or air dry — both are fine.
Organic cotton tolerates a low heat tumble dry well and comes out soft. If you air dry, give it a good shake while damp to keep it from going stiff. Either way, remove promptly to avoid creasing settling in.
✦ IRONING
Iron anywhere — just not directly on the embroidery.
Cotton presses up crisply. Iron the whole pillowcase freely, except directly on top of the stitching — flip to the reverse for that section. Pressing down on embroidery flattens the raised texture over time. Everything else, iron away.
LINEN CUSHION COVERS & FEATHER INSERTS
✦ THE COVER
Remove the insert, then machine wash cool.
Always remove the feather insert before washing the cover. Cool gentle cycle on its own — linen responds well to machine washing and develops a beautiful softness over time. Cold water keeps it from shrinking and preserves the embroidery colours.
✦ IRONING THE COVER
Linen loves a press — just flip it for the embroidery.
Linen comes up beautifully with a warm iron and a little steam. Iron the cover freely, but flip to the reverse side for the embroidered section. Direct heat on the stitching will flatten the raised texture over time — everything else, press away.
✦ THE FEATHER INSERT
Air it out regularly — washing is occasional.
Feather inserts don't need frequent washing — a good airing outdoors on a dry day freshens them up beautifully and is usually all they need. When a full wash is necessary, machine wash on a gentle cycle with a small amount of detergent, then tumble dry on low with a couple of clean tennis balls to restore the loft. Make sure it's completely dry before putting the cover back on.
For all pieces: Avoid prolonged direct sunlight — it fades thread colours over time, though occasional sun is completely fine. And if you ever spot a loose thread end, just snip it with scissors — don't pull it. If you have any care questions at all, just reply to this email and I'll help personally.
FOUNDER
ACROSS ALL NAMESAKE PIECES
The short version.
✦ LOOSE THREADS
Just cut them with scissors. Our embroidery is locked at every stitch — there's no risk of unravelling. Snip, done.
✦ WASHING
Cool water, gentle cycle. The embroidery is tougher than it looks — what you're protecting is the fabric and shape, not the stitching.
✦ IRONING
Iron on the reverse side of embroidery. Direct heat on stitching flattens the raised texture over time — everything else is fine.
✦ SUNLIGHT
Avoid prolonged direct sun for extended periods. Thread colours will fade over years of strong exposure — occasional sun is completely fine.
Still have a question?
We're a small team and we read every message. If you're ever unsure about anything, just ask — we're happy to help.
HELLO@NAMESAKESTORE.COM
