I wash dark colors and all batiks. I'm glad I did. I washed a red the other day that had to go through three times before the water ran clear. Since I'm using it with creams and yellow, not washing (a tablerunner) would have been a disaster.

When I bring home a stash of fabric, it goes no further than the garage. It's washed before it enters the house and into my other goodies. The reason is, fabric has a chemical and over time will make your fabric rot. Some of my fabrics are many years old and as good as ever.

My daughter has asked me to make her a quilt using Jell Rolls. Do these need to be prewashed too? I have always pre washed my fabric yardage because I worry about color bleeding and shrinkage.

I never thought of dry cleaning the first time. I don't usually pre-wash fabric but I do use Color Catchers the first couple of times. I don't trust red or some blues, though, and always prewash them, especially red. Does the dry cleaning help "set" the colors?

I am getting ready to make my first quilt. What is a color catcher and where do I get one?

put colour catchers in your machine with clothes & they 'catch' any colour runs. Absolutly fantastic!! I buy them in the supermarket.

Like dierdie ann said, they are in the supermarket. On the aisle with all the laundry products in a white and blue box. Might have to look on the top shelf. They're by the makers of Shout. Good luck with that first quilt. Very dangerous you know, that's how I got horribly hooked.

When I first learned about quilting, the teacher said to prewash the fabric, and that seemed normal to me. I later learned that it is a preference, some people do and others don't. I still pre-wash everything,not only for shrinkage and getting excess dye out, but for sanitary reasons. After all, I do wash linens, towels and clothes as soon as I bring them into the house, same goes for my fabric. It's a lot for work (the pressing mainly), but it is worth for me, I am more comfortable working with the fabric.

With that said, I avoid buying kits because I don't want to take that chance on either not washing or not having enough after I wash.

Just my two cents :) And BTW, I am a new quilter, so no long experience here.

I really agree with Candi,better safe than sorry.i usualy serge then wash ,new fabric smells terrible and some might be allergic.

Shout Color Catcher
traps dyes to protect you clothes. It is a sheet like the dryer sheet you put in the washing machine and it really works good.