MATERIALS

Thistle Handwerks features carefully crafted textiles primarily influenced by Scottish and American designers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Each item is hand embroidered and assembled, which results in a decorative and functional piece of needlework. All fibers used are tested prior to use. Medium and heavyweight linen is imported directly from Europe, while the spun silk embroidery thread is obtained from a Master Dyer who uses only plant dyes for her colors. If you would like to see and feel the materials used in Thistle Handwerks products, a sample card is available (see order form) for $4, postage included. Color substitutions for the plant dyed silk embroidery floss are welcome; I have about 200 colors available, and all are glorious. There is no charge for a substitution, unless I do not have it on hand. In that case, the cost is $10, regardless of the number of substitutions. It was quite common for period textiles to be worked on dyed linen, especially in Scotland. If you are interested in using colored linen, let me know. I can obtain it from my European source, or, it can be hand dyed here in the US with plant dyes, which look just as great on the linen as they do on the silk floss! Options for materials are quite numerous, and of course, can depend on what an object's purpose is and where you want to use it. Instead of linen, one could use hemp, jute, or wool, and silk could be substituted with wool, hemp, cotton, or a blend.

CARE

All fabrics have been machine washed and air dried prior to construction. All silks have been wet tested for fastness, and a few bled slightly. If one of those colors is used on your item, dry cleaning will be recommended. Otherwise, all products can be HAND washed in cool water with a mild soap that contains NO bleach. Place wet item flat on a towel, roll up and lightly squeeze. Then lay item on a dry towel to air dry. When dry, steam iron on the wrong side. For best results, place a thin cloth (like a non-terry cloth kitchen dish towel) over the back of embroidery and then iron. You may use a higher heat on the linen than on the silk. NEVER iron embroidery on right side. You may need to stroke or shake lightly to get all stitches back into place after ironing. Natural light can eventually fade these fibers, although some silk colors are more resistant to sunlight. Try to keep textiles out of direct sun for extended periods of time.