Colorfast Treatment and Blocking for Kitchen Cottons

I like to keep my handmade cloths fresh and bright. To avoid fading, I soak them for an hour in a solution of white vinegar, Epsom salts, and water.

For one recipe, I mix one cup each white vinegar and water with 2 tbsp Epsom salts.

(A double recipe would use two cups each white vinegar and water, and 1/4 cup = 4 tbsp Epsom salts.)

After soaking in the vinegar solution, I rinse the cloths in clear water and block them to shape.

For textured picture cloths, pressing down on the stockinette stitches helps to emphasize raised purl stitch designs.