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FAQs



QUALITIES OF GAUZE AND WHAT TO EXPECT

What is gauze?
Gauze is a lightweight, loosely woven cotton fabric that's commonly referred to as muslin. Our 100% certified organic, ethically woven gauze fabric is made up of multiple, thin layers of gauze attached to each other with small holding threads. These holding threads help to create the puckering of the fabric once it is washed and dried. Thanks to being lightweight and loosely woven, gauze is a breathable textile. Yet when layered, it provides warmth. This combo of breathability and warmth makes it perfect for year-round use.


How many layers of gauze are in your products?

2 layers

napkin
furoshiki
play cloth
swaddle
teether lovie
2-layer pillowcase
flat & fitted sheets


4 layers

wash cloth
4-layer pillowcase
bed blanket
hooded towel


8 layers

lace baby blanket
geo baby blanket
basic baby blanket
trimmed bed blanket
geo bed blanket
heirloom blanket
throw


12 layers

basic burp cloth
geo burp cloth



Why does the gauze product I've received look flat, and not puckered like in the photos I've seen?
The crinkled and fluffy state of gauze is achieved with washing and drying. Launder on cold, delicate cycle and tumble dry low. Voilà, you have crinkled gauze! We recommend washing and drying your fabric immediately upon receiving it. This helps the open weave to close up and become less susceptible to possible damage. The fabric may continue to crinkle up more with the next wash and dry. We include this information on an insert with each product.


Unwashed 2-layer gauze on the left, washed 2-layer gauze on the right (Zoom for texture.)

 
Unwashed 4-layer gauze on the left, washed 4-layer gauze on the right (Zoom for texture.)


My gauze item shrunk after I washed and dried it. Why?
When your gauze crinkles, it shrinks to about 85-90% of its original size during the first couple of launderings. This is an inherent quality of the fabric, and essential to making the fabric pucker up. We account for this shrinkage in the item's sewn dimensions.


The unbleached/undyed cotton on the item I've received looks like a deeper hue of ivory than it does on your website. Why?
This is the hue of our pure and minimally processed cotton prior to washing. With laundering, the hue of the unprocessed cotton lightens to the lighter ivory shown in our product photos. Please note that if you are receiving a new order and comparing the shade of the unlaundered cotton to one you've already washed multiple times, the hues will initially differ from each other because your newer item hasn't been laundered yet.


When I look closely at my gauze, I see that it has tiny brown flecks scattered across the surface. Does this mean it has a quality issue?
Minuscule brown flecks in the yarns used to make your gauze are completely normal for minimally processed cotton, and are, in fact, proof that it has been minimally processed. The small flecks are a part of the cotton plant that gets woven into the yarn. We take pride in our minimally processed fabric because it saves energy and benefits the environment. Rest assured that these flecks are barely noticeable and minimize with washing. And some people love them because they give the gauze a natural look!


TIPS ON CARING FOR & RETAINING THE PURITY OF YOUR GOTS-CERTIFIED ORGANIC GAUZE

How do I care for my gauze?
Be sure to follow the instructions on the care tag. Wash on delicate, cold cycle (low spin) with like colors. Tumble dry low. Avoid laundering with Velcro, hooks, or zippers. Do not bleach or use detergents that contain whitening agents. If you wash your item on hot and/or dry it on a hot setting, you may risk over-shrinking the gauze.

We recommend washing and drying your gauze for two cycles after you receive it. This will close up the weave of the gauze and make it ready for use.


What laundry soap do you recommend for your products?
We recommend natural, biodegradable detergents as gentle, yet effective cleaning agents. We like Molly’s Suds Detergent, sold on our website.

Because so much of our fabric is minimally processed and has not been stripped of impurities, we caution against using laundry soaps containing harsh cleaning agents or whitening agents. It is possible that these soaps could leave white splotches on our undyed gauze. Unfortunately many detergents marketing themselves as gentle actually contain toxic substances and harsh cleaning agents. Please note that willaby cannot be held responsible for the effects of harsh cleaning agents and/or bleach on our fabrics, nor any other damage to our fabrics after they have entered your possession.


Do you recommend fabric softener?
If you wish to use it, we recommend natural fabric softener and/or natural dryer sheets, for the same reasons we suggest using natural detergent.


My blanket got stained. Couldn't I bleach it?
Your blanket is made from the highest grade of organic (read: chemical free) cotton on the market. Using bleach or any other synthetic cleaning agent will affect the chemical-free nature of the fibers, and may also strip them of their softness.


What should I use to remove stains from my product?
We like biodegradable stain removers that come in a solid bar form. This is the bar soap that we currently use for stains. For really tough stains, you can try soaking in an all-natural oxygen bleach solution. (Keep in mind that using the latter method on any of our undyed fabrics may lighten them.)


How can I protect my gauze during laundering?
Because gauze is a loose, open weave, it can snag if it gets caught on something. Please note that willaby cannot be held responsible for snags or any other damage to your goods once they have been handled, laundered, or have otherwise entered into use. To protect your item from getting snagged during laundering, wash and dry without items that have zippers, hooks, or anything that could catch on the fibers. You might also put your gauze item in a mesh wash bag for washing and drying. Be sure that the wash bag is large enough so that that item isn't tightly bunched up. This allows water and detergent to flow through the fabric in the washing machine, and air to circulate in the dryer.

Lastly, we do not recommend using any kind of dryer ball in the dryer with your gauze. These have the potential to strip your gauze of its softness.


How do I fix a snag on my gauze?
A snag can be fixed using a needle and thread. Thread a needle, and knot the thread to the loop of the snag. Using the attached needle and thread, pull the snag through the back of the fabric. This will hide it inside the layers of gauze. Once you pull the needle and thread through to the back of the fabric, snip the sewing thread short enough so that it’s hidden inside the fabric. If you need help with fixing your snag/s, you can email our customer service at info@willabyshop.com for further instructions.

Our repair kit contains needle and thread, as well as fabric to patch up wear-and-tear.



OTHER FAQS

Can I get fabric swatches of your colors?
Yes! Swatches are especially helpful for planning out decor, or simply getting in-person clarity. We do not sell cut fabric swatches at this time. However, you can purchase our napkins as swatches. Not only do you get to see the color/s in person, but you get something useful as well! 


Do you offer embroidery on your products?
We do not offer machine nor hand embroidery. The biggest reason is that when gauze is manipulated under an embroidery machine (more suitable for dense weave fabrics), or by hand with a needle and thread, it's quite possible for the surface of this loosely-woven fabric to get roughed up. Also, we believe that the stiffness of machine embroidery doesn't compliment the soft, rippled texture of the fabric, and hand-embroidery doesn’t tend to show up well on the rippled texture of gauze. 

We do not recommend sending our blankets off to other companies or individuals to have them embroidered, due to the risk of damage to your blanket while it is not in your possession or, quite possibly, package loss. willaby does not endorse nor partner with any companies providing embroidery services.



Do your hand-loomed rugs require anti-slip pads?
We recommend natural rubber grip pads if you are using our rugs in a home frequented by children, or where children reside. We sell our own locally-made natural rubber rug pad, suitable for our rugs. Anti-slip pads underneath the rugs will help keep them in place around young crawlers, walkers, and "kids being kids." 


My blanket doesn't look like "x" blanket I saw on Instagram. The trim/fabric looks like a different color, it puckered differently when I washed it....
Customer's IG photos of our products are all edited differently than the images on our website, and so the appearance of our product will vary from photo to photo. The color of the fabric can look brighter/whiter or yellower/darker depending on lighting and editing. Trim colors in customer photos can look darker or lighter/warmer or cooler than our website representations depending on lighting and editing. Lastly, in terms of puckering/crinkling, some customers don't dry their blankets in the dryer, and therefore the gauze puckers up less. Some customers use the dryer, so the gauze puckers up more. Still others photograph the blanket prior to it being washed, in its unpuckered state.

For these reasons, please use our website as the standard guide to the appearance of our products, and email us with any questions prior to purchasing. Keep in mind, however, that no photograph is a perfect representation of how the product will look in person. We do think you'll be pleased with the in-person experience of our rich colors and luxuriously soft fabric!


When are you having a sale?
We do sales a bit differently than most other shops. Rather than marking down on traditional sales days, we follow the natural flow of when we need to move items off our shelves. We put discontinued designs and sample items on sale, and occasionally offer small discounts on regularly-priced merchandise that we'd like to promote. If we offer a promotion, we notify customers via our newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram. Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page to be sure to receive all notifications.


Do you have a discount code you can give me?
willaby chooses not to privately give out discount codes to convince customers to buy. Rather, we'd love for you to purchase our products because you believe in their value. We're happy to answer any questions so that you can trust in making that worthwhile investment. When we have them, we send out discount codes through our newsletter and post them on Facebook and Instagram. Currently, new newsletter subscribers receive a discount code when signing up for our newsletter. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to subscribe!


I have a gift card issued through a credit card company that I want to use towards some of my purchase/I want to split my purchase between two forms of payment. Why am I not able to do so at checkout?
At this time, our selling platform does not allow purchases to be split between two forms of payment. However, our platform will take a payment split between a willaby gift card and another form of payment.  Using your additional form of payment to buy a willaby gift card to use towards your purchase is a way around this limitation.