Lisa Glanz / http://www.lisaglanz.com. Using her Personalised Portrait Creator (which is brilliant).
Question: how do I make sure my clothes are ready for sweater weather?
What’s the best way to get my sweaters ready for heavy use when sweater weather comes around? We’re finally beginning to get the tendrils and hints of fall here, so I’m beginning to get my sweaters and jackets out of storage.
I remember, when I was a kid, my mom would have all of these seasonal transition clothing things she would do; for example, all the summer clothes would go away and all the fall clothes would come out. I don’t stick with her traditions, but I do want to make sure I’m taking care of my clothes. And making them last as long as possible. What’s the best way to transition?
Looking forward to the new season,
Super ready for sweater weather!
Your sweaters say…
I wanna be clean, I wanna be fresh, and I wanna be airy. I want you to make sure I have no moth holes and if I do, I want them fixed. I want a place where I can hang out with all of my other sweater friends and not get a hanger nipples in my shoulders. Those are not a cute look on anybody!
I want to be air dried this year; stop putting in the dryer. I’ll live longer and look better! I also want to be aired out after you wash or wear me, not crumpled in the laundry basket; I already get enough crumbling under your jacket. Oh and make sure I don’t have any pills, I want to look good!
Excited for the fresh air,
Your sweaters
Sweater maintenance tips for before sweater weather hits:
When you get your sweaters out of storage for the fall, the best way to get them ready for heavy use is to make sure you’re maintaining them well. Check them over for any small holes, any snags, any pills, and make sure you fix those. (If you’re short on time, get your sweaters ready quickly with these three quick steps.)
After that, it’s really about maintaining your sweaters throughout the season. Make sure you’re treating them well and not washing them too often or over washing them, especially if most of your sweaters are wool or alpaca or other natural fibers. Those do best if you hand wash them and lay them flat to dry. This will extend their lives significantly. Also, natural fiber sweaters don’t need to be washed every single time you wear them. Especially if you have a shirt underneath them. Often after a day of wear, you can just make sure that the sweater has good air circulation and it’s not crumpled somewhere in a corner, and it’ll smell perfectly fresh the next day.
One last tip: if you need to hang your sweaters in your closet, don’t hang them the same way you would a blouse. That creates indentations in the sweater where the hanger was. Instead drape them over the crossbar of the hanger. Or lay them over the hanger sort of like you would wear a sweater around your shoulders. You can also fold the sweater in half, put the arms around one side of the neck of the hanger, and the body of the sweater over the other so that the hanger hook is sitting right in the armpit. This will help your sweater maintain its shape.
Happy sweater wearing!
