I also use Retayne for everything except pastels, whites and creams. I've had reds and more frequently, blues, run in the wash. First I put the fabric in hot water with Retayne, as per directions, then wash on a low temp, gentle wash with 1/2 the regular amount of detergent. I don't have a dryer, but I used to dry on hot. Now I just airdry and then press, fold, and add to stash. :)
-- Jo in Scotland
I wash, not so much because of the colors running, but because sometime the fabric twists a bit. I don't always buy name brand fabrics, and had a problem once with twisting.
I not only wash my fabric, I brutalize it with laundry products and processes. I want to get every last bit of naughty behavior out of it before I use it. I also want to get any wierd chemicals, dust, dirt, debris, spit or worse from disgruntled employees, and bizarre oriental insect larvae out.
NightMist
I have silk here from China. One of my husband co workers goes to China every few months and He brought me back some of the most beautiful silks, that I have no clue what to do with it. I hate taking them to the dry cleaners but I am terrified to putting them in the wash...
Barbara
I'm the same. I don't want any surprises after the finished item is washed.
Wash. Roberta in D
"Barbara Sherrill" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...
Silk normally washes beautifully. Use a gentle cycle and woolite (nothing with enzymes!!). Line dry. Iron damp. I saw some silk in a museum, Byzantine era, so it was at least 1200 years old. It came from a burial, so not exposed to light. The colors were still brilliant. Silk is tough, as long as you keep it away from enzymes and harsh detergents. I wash all my silk clothing as described above. Roberta in D
"Barbara Sherrill" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...
Yes.... I DO! In fact, it never gets to the sewing stash until it is washed.
PAT, with a stack of new fabric > I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when it
I wash, for all the reasons others have cited. I used warm water and a bit of my regular detergent, then dry in a hot dryer. I don't iron, just smooth it out and fold nicely when I take it out of the dryer. If it needs ironing, I'll do that when I use it.
Julia in MN
Thank you Roberta, I will give the silks a wash. I have woolite here that I use on my fabrics. I will put the silks in later on this week. Now I have to figure out what to make with them...lol
Barbara
Oh yes, I forgot to add that I put a colour catcher in with a load of new fabric. I actually use them a second or third time with regular washing, when I do a "dark" load of washing. Also, if I use a colour catcher and it stays pretty light, I will add this plus a new colour catcher to a load of say, brown or black new fabric. Reduce, re-use, recycle and all of that....
-- Jo in Scotland
ewwww! Maybe I will start using detergent! lol
I also had a question, kind of more specific, along this same line. The lady at my favorite little quilt shop sells "kits", i.e. small pieces of fabric, enough needed to do one block a month out of the "Egg Money" book. One of the darker fabrics is a dark red-wine color. I have not been washing them because they are so small. Now I'm worried this wine-color will bleed onto the white background. I know Moda is a good quality fabric, but what are the chances this is going to be a problem?
Sherry
Same here...fabric stays out of the stash until washed.
-Irene
-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20
--Mae West=20
--------------
You can wash your fabric pieces by hand in the sink and lay them on a clean towel to dry.
If you want to use a washing machine then put the little pieces in a lingerie bag (those mesh zipper bags) and wash them in that.
The easiest way to find out if the dark color will be a problem is to put a small piece of fabric in a cup of warm water for 30 minutes. If the water is clear then dye won't transfer in the wash water. Next place the wet piece of fabric onto a scrap of white fabric to see if the dye will transfer onto fabrics it might touch. Let the two fabrics sit for a bit and then remove the dark fabric and see if any color is on the white fabric.
If the fabric bleeds, then soak the piece again and try the bleed test again. If it no longer transfers dye then pre-washing will work. If it continues to bleed, use a different fabric in your project or try washing the fabric in Retayne which is a dye fixative.
marcella
Here's an idea: a hand-quilted vest. I'm making one (cotton, not silk). It would be wonderful with the silk batting, and not too expensive for such a small project. Roberta in D
"Barbara Sherrill" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com...
Excellent advice! Before you start though, you could rub the fabric with a damp white washcloth. Not soaking, just damp. If nothing rubs off, you have a pretty good chance, 90% or so, that the fabric is safe to use. Roberta in D
"Marcella Peek" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.dca.giganews.com...
And please remember that just because something "bleeds" doesn't mean the color will transfer. It depends on the dye and the other fabric fiber content. And even things that don't bleed can transfer color if left sitting in a wet heap for a period of time.
As to the original question..... It depends. Sometimes I don't prewash, especially for class samples and so on. I usually don't prewash before adding to my stash, simply because the finishes do help prevent bugs. (Sorry, but any one who lives in the AZ desert has bugs, whether or not you see them. They were here first and will be here long after we are gone. Fact of life.) I do wash any fabric going into clothing. Because: there shrinkage control is much more important; and grain true-ness is more important. However the grain is after washing is how it will be after every wash. (Ever have a pair of jeans that were fine when you bought them but after washing the seam was twisted down to the front of the leg. It was cut off grain.) In quilts those two things are not as important in small pieces. Plus in quilts there is the quilting to help stabilize the fabric.
But I have also mixed pre washed and unwashed fabric in a quilt with no adverse effect. I do wash quilts before using, after displaying or whatever. And definitely before gifting. And the hot water isn't turned on on the washer. (Tried to turn it on a while back and the "knob" is stuck..... not worth it in the long run.) And dry on "permapress" cycle, which has a cool down to help reduce wrinkles. If you have large yardage and it twists into a rope in the dryer, try pinning the selvedges together after fan-folding it to a manageable size. Or hang it over the shower rod/clothesline and make sure it is nice and smooth. A lot fewer wrinkles.
Pati, in Phx
(gentle snipping......)
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