mojo11

I prewash everything, including 5" squares; however, I hand applique. If you are piecing a quilt top and you prewash some of the fabric but not all of it, wouldn't it get wonky when you wash the quilt? Wouldn't some pieces shrink and not others? Am I missing something? I have used 5" squares that were still 5" when I cut them.

maminstl

I think that the whole thing about not washing precuts made me realize that there wasn't much of a point in washing anything. When I started quilting I would wash it all, but did not take long for me to decide it wasn't necessary. If I think I need to wash anything, I do it, but it is rare.

Bree123

I personally pre-wash everything. I don't do it because I worry the fabric will shrink (that hasn't been my experience with modern LQS fabrics); I do it because I have a severe allergy to the chemicals that manufacturers put on fabrics before shipping them to stores.

Little pieces (jelly rolls, charm packs, etc) I usually wash by hand & lay flat to dry. Other pieces I put in the washer on the Intermittent Hand Wash cycle & I tumble dry on low heat to partially dry. Sometimes I do put small pre-cuts in the washer & dryer, too ... it depends on my mood & how quickly it needs to be done.

I know other pre-washers who do so in order to pull dye out or to cause to shrink as much as possible. In those cases, they have to live with the pre-cuts unwashed because putting them through harsh conditions would completely defeat the purpose of buying a pre-cut as they would no longer be the correct size. However, I do it all the time under gentle laundering conditions & measure the pre-cuts after laundering; so far I only had 1 piece that shrunk (or maybe was a miss-cut) and had to be thrown out.

Clmay

I don't prewash. I measure twice then cut, sew and press.

RedGarnet222

Because if the fabric comes from another country it is sprayed with a bug chemical to prevent them from entering the country. Also the dye can run, or the fabric can shrink.

quilterpurpledog

I can't imagine dealing with all the ravelling from pre-cuts-so I don't pre-wash. I have been told by numerous people that you should pre-wash everything or nothing. Fabric, however, does not shrink uniformly so I'm not sure that comment is valid. I don't pre-wash and I mix types of cotton fabric (never polyester blends), wash the finished product and enjoy the crinkle of the end product.The fabric and the batting all shrink some and contribute to that look.

carolynjo

One of the reasons quilting is so important is to "stabilize" the fabric. When you have included it and surrounded it with other pieces of fabric, also surrounded by fabric, where is the fabric going to get out of shape? That's why our ancestors quilted everything to keep the fabric in shape.

citruscountyquilter

I don't pre-wash and I don't worry. The finished quilt gets washed so anything that was in it is washed out at that time. I have washed some yardage that came from an estate sale that smelled musty but that's about it. I've never had any problems with shrinkage or bleeding.
I've learned that I have a different vocabulary than some in this thread however. To me pre-cuts were layer cakes, jelly rolls etc. I never considered a fat quarter a pre-cut. Learned something new.

crafty pat

I wash everything before using. I learned the hard way when I first started sewing and quilting by having to throw away a dress and later a quilt top for shrinking and bleeding. I hate the chemicals that are in new fabric and want it out as soon as possible. I don't use many precuts as I cut my own.

ube quilting

I don't buy pre cuts. To many tales of shortages and I don't find the gamble and cost worth it. I do wash everything that comes in the house. Small stuff gets done in a bucket.

We work so hard and put so much into our craft, why hesitate to make sure our fabric is ready to go and in good order by testing it for bleeding and shrinkage before we use it.

I would rather not cry after the fact.
peace