Must they all require hand-wash?

I'd probably buy QF if it wasn't covered in all sorts of designs. It looks well made.

I know what you mean about arthritis and the hand washing thing. I have it in my wrists also and have a really hard time wringing out items.

Do you have a setting for hand wash - or something similar - on your washing machine? I would think that would be gentle enough if you turn the garment inside out first.

Manufacturers have to protect themselves --as well as us -- so they say handwash on lots of delicate items. Unless it's something I'd cry if it got damaged, lots of times I turn garments insiude out, put them into a sweater bag and toss them into a gentle machine wash.

I've done that with some Quacker over the years, but not with anything I bought recently because I haven't bought Quacker in the last few years as I make a sincere attempt to downsize my wardrobe. I will try a piece in the washer again when I buy new, but I definitely won't toss my sequins in with my toughest and roughest loads and I will use a nylon protective bag.

On 4/24/2014 3star said: I use the gentle cycle with cold water and lay flat to dry. The cycle on my machine is timed, so I use 10 minutes. The tops come out beautifully. I really don't think you need to actually hand wash.

Same here. After it goes through the spin cycle--just give it a good shake out and lay flat to dry. Or I have found it also keeps shape on those 100% cotton ones to hang them over the back of a chair. Don't know why it works, but it does for me.

I put all of my Quacker items turned inside out, put them in a sweater bag, wash them on the hand wash cycle in my machine (cold water and Woolite), put them on hangers and let dry. I have had no problem washing them like that. Of course, I would not hang sweaters, I would lay those flat.

I'm very lucky that I have an older washer which has a very Short Wash/Gentle setting. So, I usually turn my items inside out and stand there, taking out my items before completely spinned/spun. But, just to make sure, if you don't have an extremely short and gentle wash cycle, I would wash by hand. When I'm not sure, I wash by hand, then carefully put the item(s) in the washer, and spin for a few seconds or one minute. I stand there, watching, then take it out and dry flat on a towel across a wood drying rack.

If memory serves me, Jeanne herself used to say that she washed her QF garments on the machine's gentle cycle, then "threw" them down onto the tile floor in her laundry room to dry. I doubt that she actually threw them, but I can see how she'd lay them out flat on the floor to dry.

I rarely hand wash anything any more, unless it's very small & lightweight, like a scarf. I just turn the garment inside out, put it into a white, king-size cotton pillowcase, fold over the open end a couple of times & then use a couple of large safety pins to hold it closed. (don't tie the top in a knot, it's too hard to untie when the pillowcase is wet.) Depending on what the item is, I might toss the whole thing into the dryer on a low heat setting for a few minutes, then lay flat to dry. I don't hang anything that's cotton or else it winds up being two feet longer than it's supposed to be.

Those items of clothing that are stretchy (e.g., LOGO), I put them in washbag and throw them into the washing machine, then lay them flat or hang them to dry.