General FAQs
Why New Zealand Merino is Best!
Warm In Winter, Cool In Summer:
Merino creates a micro-climate around your body, creating a layer of warmth in winter and wicking moisture away from your skin in summer. Merino fibres breathe, keeping you dry and comfortable.
With many more fibres contained in the fabric it traps more tiny air pockets and locks in body heat, making it a super insulator.
Merino wool clothing & knitwear is highly breathable because the individual fibres breathe as well as the fabric, and it wicks moisture away from your body, releasing it into the air. This helps to regulate your temperature keeping you warm in cold weather and cool in hot.
Merino wool knitwear will absorb up to a third of its weight in water without feeling clammy and retains some of its warmth even when very wet.
Easy To Care For:
Merino is machine washable in cool water. Use a wool wash and lie flat to dry ( never dry in the dryer). Merino is a naturally water repellent fibre.
Comfortable and Soft and beautiful to touch:
Merino wool is much finer than traditional wool making it smooth against your skin and more comfortable to wear (non-itchy).
Merino fibres can stretch over 30% and still recover to their natural shape.
Merino can absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture before it feels damp, and then when it does get wet, it stays warm.
Safe:
Merino is naturally fire retardant. It is self extinguishing, meaning it will not melt or stick to your skin. It also has high UV protection, keeping you safe from the harshness of the sun.
Good Looking:
Merino fibre is longer and stronger and less likely to pill.
Great for outdoors and sportswear:
The natural anti-microbial properties of Merino wool make it odour resistant - another big advantage over synthetic fabrics.
Do you send samples if I make a purchase?
We are happy to send small snippets with any fabric purchase. We don't have swatches for all fabrics so we can only send them if we have a sample swatch to cut from. The samples will be small.
Can I request samples before I make a purchase?
We can send samples if we have them and if the postage costs are paid. Sorry we cannot send free samples as we get requests from all around the world and that is a lot of postage!
When buying fabric you sometimes need to see the colour or feel the weight or texture. I am happy to send small samples of merino fabrics but here are things you need to know:
1. There is a cost of $4.00NZD for postage and handling. Sorry I get so many requests from all around the world so this cost covers the stamps envelope and handling.
2. I can only send samples if I have a sample to cut from. This is because many of the fabrics are one offs or unique or may be the last pieces left.
3. The samples will be small- only a few cm x a few cm.
4. How many samples can you get- about 12 samples on a page.
5. Sometimes we won't have the fabric sample you want, but we may have the same fabric in a different colour if you are wanting to only check the weight or texture so we may substitute samples.
6. For overseas delivery, it takes about 6-10 weeks for the letter to be delivered to you by standard airmail. There is no guarantee that by the time you want the order, the same fabrics on the sample sheet will be available or available in the lengths required. For NZ delivery, we send as an untracked letter.
7. There are some core colours and weights that we can supply long term or in larger quantities so please ask if you need a larger order or if you are manufacturing.
8. Just send an email if you want to check fabric availability but please give me an idea of how many metres you need.
9. To be advised when new fabrics arrive, follow us on Facebook.
10. To pay for the samples we will send you an invoice of $4.00NZD for payment by credit card or direct credit.
Why do you not have samples for all the fabrics?
We do not cut samples off the rolls as the fabrics are expensive so we can only send if we have a swatch to cut from. If the fabrics are one offs or ends of lines, then samples may not be available.
Some of the listings show the fabric is out of stock or there is limited stock- will you get more of this fabric again?
Please send us an email to confirm as in some cases the fabrics may be in stock but the amount not updated or the fabric may available for reorder so it pays to check.
Can you supply for manufacturing?
Some of the more common jersey knit 100% merinos may be available for order in larger rolls.
Many of the fabrics are unable to be reordered in large quantities so these fabrics are more suitable for home sewers or those wanting to sell custom designed one off items.
Please send us an email with your query with the lengths required and which fabrics you need.
Do you sell at wholesale prices?
The prices here are already incredibly low as a 100% merino wool fabric will retail for between $40 to $60NZD per metre so the prices are effectively wholesale. We do not offer any further discounts. There may be some fabrics on sale at discounted prices for longer precut pieces from time to time.
Do you ship overseas? For more info on shipping click here https://www.newzealandmerinoandfabrics.com/pages/shipping-faqs
Yes we do. All overseas orders will need the country and weight of the parcel to get the exact shipping cost. The online shipping cost may be under or over charged so send us an email with your order and we can advise the correct shipping. If using the online shopping cart, we may need to send a refund if you are overcharged for shipping or an invoice will need to be sent with the additional cost to ship to your country.
Why can't I check out with my online order for overseas shipping?
If the order is over a $250NZD or a certain shipping weight, the website cannot do an automatic calculation as different shipping and parcel insurance options apply. Just send us the order by email and we can send an invoice with the correct shipping cost.
New Zealand shipping?
Yes most definitely. The website will only automatically calculate NZ shipping for small orders $200 and under as there are different shipping options available for larger parcels.
For larger orders to a NZ address, if you cannot check out online, please request a shipping cost or an invoice as once over a certain value or weight, the website cannot calculate the shipping cost automatically. Just send us the order by email and we can send an invoice with the correct shipping cost.
Do you have a shop where I can view the fabrics?
No, sorry we don't. All sales are online although you can request samples and by not having a physical store means we can keep our prices lower.
Where do the fabrics come from?
The fabrics are all New Zealand merino wool and are sourced in New Zealand.
What currency are the prices shown in on the website?
The prices are all in NZD. There is a currency calculator if you would like some idea of the cost in your own currency.
Do you cut to order?
To keep the prices lower, all fabrics are cut in full and half metres e.g. 1m, 1.5m, 2m, 2.5m.
A metre is a little more than a yard. 1 yard = 91 cm.
There are also some odd length pieces for sale so look for these in the Sale section from the Home Page. These are one off pieces.
How do I wash merino fabric?
Merino fabrics are machine washable or you can hand wash. There is no need to dry clean.
Here are the washing instructions:
- Use a wool or delicate cycle on your machine.
- Use a cool or cold water temperature.
- Wash dark colours separately.
- Use normal washing powder or detergent ( but NOT one with a fabric softener, whitener or bleach) or use a Wool approved detergent like Softly.
- Dry flat in shade away from direct sunlight if you can. You can hang over a line, avoid peg marks. NEVER use the dryer- if you do it may shrink.
- Cool iron if required- you shouldn’t need to iron at all if dried flat or just hung with no pegs.
And now the list of DO NOTS:
- Do not soak.
- Do not use hot water.
- Do not use soaps, spot cleaner, whiteners, bleach or fabric softener. Bleach or whitening laundry products are too harsh for the natural wool fibres and you may end up with these products eating away at the fibres which can cause holes.