How to keep the stitch

Dry clean embroidered formals, velvets, and anything with metal thread. Ask for a cleaner who has seen Pakistani bridal cloth before — steam on zardozi can flatten it into foil.

Lawn and khaddar may be hand-washed cold, inside-out, with a mild soap. Do not wring phulkari. Dry in shade. Iron on the reverse.

Ajrak improves with respectful washing; do not bleach indigo. Dupattas with kiran should be folded, not hung, or the border will grow.

Store with muslin, not plastic. Cedar, not mothballs that stain silk. If a mirror loosens, write to us before you take a needle to it.