Just as well, if not better than, any other soft goods you’re used to. We create our products from the highest quality materials and they’re constructed by hand for lasting durability. And everything is washable, so don’t be afraid to use those products! Life happens and we believe our home goods should stand up to all the fun that comes with it — kids, dogs, and the outdoors included!

We include product-specific laundry care on the tag of each item we produce, but in general, washing in cold water and drying to damp will prolong the life and beauty of every one of our small-batch home soft goods (pillow covers included). And they get softer and better with time, so go use them and wash them and use them again!

Yes! We are committed to producing products that are totally organic, down to the thread and label. We carefully and intentionally source all of our fabric from vetted farms or mills. About 80% of our sources are officially GOTS certified, with the remaining 20% being small-scale organic textile producers who are doing it right but who haven’t been able to start the expensive and intensive GOTS process.

Other than the zippers in our pillows, every item we sell is entirely biodegradable. Unlike cheap single-use soft goods, our products won’t sit in a landfill for the rest of time. But since your Fresh Water wares aren’t going to go out of style any time soon, you won’t need to worry about getting rid of them!

We love bringing bright and vibrant colors into our designs. While we can closely color-match to most Pantone colors, our mission of keeping cleaner, healthier waterways means we won’t ever compromise on the dyeing process. Our fabrics are dyed using low-impact, certified vegetable dyes and using procedures that meet stringent certified wastewater management practices.

Our collections are inspired by our adventures of living in northern Michigan. Freshwater fun, summer sunsets, winter wonderlands… they all come into play to bring colorful pieces that coordinate across the seasons.

We’re super intentional about the sizing of every item we sell because we want to make sure that we waste as little as possible. Our patterns and designs take every inch of fabric into account so that our scrap pile stays small. What we can’t use gets bagged up and sold to local fiber artists, quilters, and rainy day-project warriors — the proceeds going entirely to support the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed and other impactful eco-friendly nonprofits.

Glad you asked… In today’s market, just because something is labeled as ‘fair trade,’ that doesn’t always mean positive things are happening behind the scenes. Sure, producer organizations are being paid a fair price, but what about the farmers and workers upstream? Instead of buying from third-party wholesale ‘fair trade’ partners, we believe in paying a true living wage directly to the farmers, mills, and artisans who produce our fabric.

We want you to love your products while also considering the time and effort that goes into every stitch and how the return of a small-batch item affects us as a small business. Returns and exchanges can be made on most full-priced Fresh Water Textiles soft goods within 15 days of the purchase date as long as the item is unused and in its original packaging (with the exception of pillows, which must be returned within 48 hours of purchase). Gift cards, books, kits, raw materials of both fabric & fiber, and sale items are considered Final Sale and not eligible for return or exchange.

We work hard to make sure every item we sell is crafted with the highest quality and care. If you encounter a flaw in something you’ve purchased from us, please reach out. We stand behind all of our products and will do what we can to make it right.

Our small crew wears all the hats so we ship online orders and in-shop shipping requests on Mondays & Thursdays only. They ship out from our Traverse City, Michigan studio via USPS/UPS Ground and delivery times vary between 3-10 business days, depending on location. 

Orders are shipped via USPS/UPS Ground, using eco-friendly packaging and shipping materials. 

Small soft goods (& raw fabric up to 5 yds): $8.00

All other packages (excluding pillows): $14.00

Pillows (rate is per pillow): $30.00

If you can’t stop thinking about that item you saw in the shop when you were passing through town, just shoot us an email or give us a call at 231.252.4663 and if it’s shippable, we’d be happy to give you a custom shipping quote and make arrangements to send it to your door.

Due to fabric ordering minimums, we’re unable to offer individual, small-scale custom orders. However, if you’re looking to outfit your vacation rentals, café, or other larger-scale business, we’d love to collaborate with you to create a custom design that suits your needs. (Requires a minimum of 12 of the same item or multiple ensembles of the same print.)

No. Our items are for retail purposes only and cannot be resold. Our original-print fabric is covered by copyright and cannot be reused for other projects or resold in any manner. But for our creative makers, we are happy to offer tiered discounts on our raw linen fabric for quantities greater than 10 yards. 

Unfortunately, no. We consider our small batches like treasure troves — produced in limited quantities and only available as long as we’ve got the custom-designed fabric to create them. Typically, our collections are available for up to a year, after which we’ll have something new and beautiful to choose from. So, if you see something you love, get it while we’ve got it!

We don’t. We’d rather leave those projects to the experts while we stay focused on the sustainable soft goods for your home. 

Absolutely! Our gift cards are available in any denomination in our retail shop as well as online.