Question to wash or not to wash

i wash all fabrics prior to letting them into the sewing room at all. then its all shrunk and any that might bleed have done their worst, well thats the hope at least. cheers, jeanne

No, I do not. I tend to buy good quality fabric that isn't as course or dye-ridden as lesser quality fabric, I'm not allergic to anything in the fabric as other people can be, I love the crinkly look after quilted and washed and most important of all.....I'm LAZY!!!!!!!! oh, and I hate to iron!

The fabric I got today was Robert Kaufman. It's absolutely beautiful and I am so afraid to put it in the washing machine. 2 more kits just arrived and I am now debating about washing the fabrics from those....

Yes, yes, yes and yes!!!

I have always washed everything before I use it --- fabric, new clothes, dishes, etc.

I'm obsessed with who else might have touched it!!! and with what!

Tricia

I definitely prewash! I wasn't always so adamant about it, but I learned my lesson the hard way. I bought some beautiful wine-colored fabric at the LQS (definitely not cheap stuff!), and it bled, and bled, and bled, and then bled some more. It affected any fabric that was lighter than it was - blues turned purple, beiges turned pink, etc. I do keep a box of that color-catcher stuff on the laundry shelf now, but I'm not sure even that would have helped this fabric!

I don't use detergent or fabric softener but I do put all my fabric through a hot wash/cold rinse gentle cycle. I use Retayne on all colors except whites and light tans/creams. I then dry in a dryer to shrink it.

Why are you afraid? If you think it's going to be ruined wouldn't you rather know before you put it into a quilt? By the way, I doubt a Kaufman fabric would be ruined. I have a lot of his fabric and have yet to be disappointed after washing. :o)

Kits are another story. I've never bought one so I won't comment.

I am so impressed with the beauty of this fabric from Kaufman. I have been buying kits since the fabrics come with them. I just pray that I cut them right. Two of the kits are applique's and I am excited about trying this one out.....

I guess tonight fabrics are hitting the washing machine and I will start playing tomorrow. :)

Barbara

I also wash. I know fabrics are better quality these days and most won't run (as much?), but I hate to think of where those fabrics have been before I bought them. Ugh. So I wash. And if I want some of the "body" restored when I use them, I use spray sizing or spray starch.

I used to wash and iron EVERYTHING.

But I now buy for a communal stash so I warn everyone that I am no longer willing to spend literally hundreds of hours washing and ironing their fabric, and then I turn them loose to make their own decisions. No major problems so far (fingers crossed)

Amen to that! There are so many chemicals used on fabric (including to keep the bugs away) that if you knew the truth you probably wouldn't even want to touch it without gloves on before it is washed.

Trixie

I always prewash, and still get the crinkly look. The best of both worlds!

Trixie

I wash in warm water, cold rinse and my normal detergent- plus a dye catcher sheet- just like I will wash the finished quilt. Like the others, I want to know all the shrinking is gone out of all the fabrics (which will most likely shrink at different rates) as well as the excess dyes are washed out and won't haunt me later. I wash all my clothing, linens, etc. before I wear/use them as well. I like to know that everything is *clean* to my standards. If you like the crinkly look you get from washing a newly finished quilt then don't pre-shrink your batting. BTW I pre-wash and pre-shrink my batting as well- I buy Warm & White and/or Warm & Natural by the big roll when Joann Fabrics has a 50% off sale or coupon.

Leslie & The Furbabies > I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when it

I don't wash. I used to but stopped at some point more than 10 years ago. I have had only one mishap with fabric and was able to save the quilt using the color cloths or whatever they are called.

Who knows how long it will be before I use all the fabric I bought. I would rather spend my time sewing, cutting and quilting than washing yardage, ironing it, folding it and putting it away -- only to be ironed again when I decide to use it.

Kathy > I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when it

I always wash first. I an allergic to some finishes put on fabrics and I don't want anything to bleed or shrink after sewing. Debra in VA See my quilts at

I've been in a fabric mill and a sewing factory. It's not so much who touched it, but what touched it....floors, shoes, bugs, etc.. I wash everything too, especially new clothing. Debra in VA See my quilts at

I wash everything I buy, before I even put it where it goes!! From fabrics to dishes to panties sealed in a pkg. Who knows where it has been? Besides, I've had may things bleed, and nothing is more frustrating than finding that out after you've sewn it into a quilt. However, my mom's stash was mostly unwashed when I inherited it. So now, I have a mix in my stash, so often, I'll choose a fabric and then go "dang, this isn't washed", and have to wait to cut until I've run it through the drill: hot water wash, warm water rinse, with a color catcher, delicate cycle to keep the cut ends from fraying too much, and *hot* dryer. However, I don't prewash batting, which delivers the authentic "crinkly" look of hand made quilts. Just my 10 cents.

I wash and dry everything before I sew it. I like to think of "worse case scenario" for the recipients of my quilts - such as dad or teenager washing and/or drying, carelessly. If it has already shrunk and bled, there's no need to worry about "mishaps" once they leave my home.

Patti in Seattle