Onebyone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp4t4DZ8F2k

bearisgray

I have washed hundredes - maybe thousands - of pieces of fabric before cutting them.

I measured the pieces before and after washing - just to see how much shrinkage there might be. Also to see if those that said "it does not matter" were right.

Almost all of them shrank "some" - usually in only one direction.

A couple of the pieces really caught my attention - Michael Miller black - from three or four different bolts purchased at different times - shrank over two inches in width.

Some Roc-Lon muslin - that the label on the end of the bolt said "preshrunk" - shrank drastically - don't remember the exact numbers, but it was over 5 ipercent.

Also, the Legacy Muslin from JoAnns (which feels wonderful) - shrinks a lot lengthwise. I was making curtains/drapes out of it, and I was planning on four-inch hems. I ended up with three inch hems because there was over two inches of shrinkage on an 84 inch cut of fabric.

I noticed she only used one fabric for her experiement.

My Mom had given me some 5 inch charms - I washed them - one of them ended up being only 4.5 inches by 5 inches.

Washing - or steaming - or starching - is another step before cutting the fabric. To me, it's worth it I prefer a flatter look, and I like my blocks to end up being close to the size I expect them to be.

I am a bit surprised that it took the video maker 30 years to figure it out.

(I have also started to soak new fabrics in hot water for at least three hours before gently washing them in cool to warm water. I feel that it is the agitation of washing in a machine that makes washed fabric look :"used/old". And also overcrowinding the pieces in a dryer.)

I have also noticed shrinkage in fabrics that I line dried.These were soaked in hot water before being washed in cold water.

So - I will have to admit that maybe three pieces did not shrink at all. In fact, one even grew a little bit.

I do get on my soapbox here. but it still totally puzzles me why people insist there is no change when there is.

I

P-BurgKay

I totally agree with you

Onebyone

I saturate my fabric with starch and let dry, usually over night, then iron. It makes a big difference. I do this with pre cuts too.

Stitchnripper

I am not a prewasher or preshrinker or a starcher. I do test pieces of suspect fabrics for bleeding. My quilts turn out fine. Some of them are bigger pieces and some are smaller. What am I missing?

cashs_mom

I'm not sure. I'm not a pre-washer either. I do use starch or BestPress on fabrics before I do any cutting so I guess that shrinks it enough. I had more trouble with blocks being too small before I started using 50 or 60 wt thread.

rjwilder

I prewash all my fabric, it gets out the smell and it shrinks and sometimes bleeds. I dry it and then iron it, fold and put it on a shelf. That way I get no surprises when I use it.

bearisgray

I did get a surprise several years ago from some Jinny Beyer fabrics - I had washed them - warm water - and dried them.

One was a dark red and the other was a dark blue - when I sprayed starch or sizing on them - they bled! Hence the soaking now instead of just a quick wash.