care, repair & resale
garment care
megsmithmakes garments are digitally printed on 96% cotton / 6 % linen woven in Pakistan. The fabric holds an OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (11-29208) Certification, which means it is certified free of harmful chemicals. It also produces a Martindale Test result of 35000 revs which means it durable and resistant to pilling.
WEAR MORE, WASH LESS
The linen fibres in the fabric mean it may take a few wears to soften. In my experience, wearing the garment without washing encourages it to quickly become soft and comfy. Yes please!
Air and sunlight also do wonders for freshening up garments. Hang your garment on a hanger in the sun for a few hours and feel the difference!
Spot cleaning with a drop of laundry liquid on a cloth is a great way to tackle that stray drip of Sunday espresso. Just make sure you address the stain as promptly as possible.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
For those occasions when you do need to machine wash, the following care instructions are recommended:
- Cold, gentle machine or hand wash
- If machine washing, use a SLOW spin speed.
- Use a quality, gentle laundry liquid with NO essential oils (these seem to fade the print faster).
- Do not soak, wring, rub, bleach or tumble dry.
- Dry flat or on good quality hanger.
- Warm steam iron on reverse side
- Dry clean using Hydrocarbon (perc free)
Please follow the care instructions appropriately, as I am unable to accept responsibility for replacing damaged garments caused through incorrect care.
garment repair
SEAMS AND HEMS
Repairing your garment is the easiest way to ensure it will last a lifetime. If you are a confident sewist, I encourage you to tackle any and all repairs within your abilities.
If the thought of a needle and thread terrifies you - I am happy to offer two free seam and hem repairs on your megsmithmakes garment.
Just email hello@megsmithmakes.com and tell me what needs repair, along with a photo of the damage. I'll confirm if it's something I can fix and provide you with the address to send your garment and the expected timeframe for repair.
You will need to cover the cost of postage to me, and I will cover the cost of postage back to you.
RIPS, TEARS AND HOLES
Due to the artwork on the fabric, it can be fairly tricky to invisibly fix rips, tears and holes. Creative patching is, however, encouraged! So much so that a set of patches is included with your purchase 🤎
Creative patching is an act of personal expression, so I will leave it up to you. If you have creatively patched your garment, I would love to see your work! Please do send me a picture at hello@megsmithmakes.com
If you're curious to learn more about creative patching, head over to Creative Mending with Patches or Practical Mending : How to Sew on a Patch for more information.
garment end-of-life
GARMENT RESALE
I eventually plan to create an online resale market for garments that are lightly worn and still in good condition. You would send me your pre-loved garments for me to sell, and in turn you will receive a store credit towards a new purchase.
I haven't figured out the precise details as yet - so subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed.
BIODEGRADING YOUR GARMENT
When a garment has reached the end of its life and the time has come for final goodbyes, your megsmithmakes garments is biodegradable.
The blend of cotton / flax will fully biodegrade in soil in about 4-6 months. If you feel like getting sciencey, putting your garment in a bucket of seawater will halve that time.
The thread, fabric, and printing inks of your garment are OEKO-Tex certified (which means they contain no harmful chemicals) but as your garment has had a long and fruitful life, you can never be certain about what chemicals it has collected on its journey.
If you do choose to biodegrade, don't do so in compost destined for growing food - we're still not sure about ingesting the printing inks. Instead, bury it in the backyard under the flower beds. Headstone is optional.