Questions regarding precut fabrics
#1
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Hi! Does anyone know if precut fabrics such as jelly rolls, layercakes, charm packs, etc. are also preshrunk before the cutting? Also, if you buy precuts from a name brand manufacturer, how accurate and consistent are they in sizing? What about from brand to brand?
I found one seller who said her Honeybun was steamed. Mine gets that way too if I buy too much fabric...
Okay, enough of that. So what does steamed and diecut mean? How much does steaming preshrink the fabric?
That was a lot of questions.
Thanks in advance for any help with this!
I found one seller who said her Honeybun was steamed. Mine gets that way too if I buy too much fabric...
![Big Grin](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/biggrin.png)
Okay, enough of that. So what does steamed and diecut mean? How much does steaming preshrink the fabric?
That was a lot of questions.
![Stick Out Tongue](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/tongue.png)
Thanks in advance for any help with this!
#2
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No, precuts are not preshrunk. Manufacturers recommend that you NOT wash them before using. I've never heard of steaming fabric so I don't know about that one. Diecut means that the shapes are cut with a metal die - like a shaped stamper with sharp edges. Supposed to make for better accuracy. Buy from the best manufacturer you can afford. I only buy pre-cuts from well known lines. Moda is my favorite. I have found some distortion in all the jelly rolls and layer cakes I have purchased. I have also learned the hard way how to treat the jelly roll strips. I was working on a Gemini quilt from jelly rolls and found that I was distorting them as I starched them and pressed them. So now I just dry iron them before I use them. Lesson learned.
#3
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Maybe you can contact the seller and ask what they mean by "steamed".
Could be they ironed it with steam? I buy lots of pre-cuts. No, they are
not pre-shrunk and they are not always accurate. If you buy pre-cuts,
be prepared to work around this. I starch all my fabric heavily including
pre-cuts. They do need gentle handling though. To avoid lots of stretching
I cut my jelly roll strips in half before starching. Press (up and down) and
don't iron back and forth. Hope this helps.
Could be they ironed it with steam? I buy lots of pre-cuts. No, they are
not pre-shrunk and they are not always accurate. If you buy pre-cuts,
be prepared to work around this. I starch all my fabric heavily including
pre-cuts. They do need gentle handling though. To avoid lots of stretching
I cut my jelly roll strips in half before starching. Press (up and down) and
don't iron back and forth. Hope this helps.
#6
![Default](/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Thank you each of you... all of what you wrote helps to know!
Jelly rolls and such always seem like such a tempting way to get a large variety of fabrics from one collection, but so far I've preferred to cut my own too.
I did just find one seller on eBay who actually preshrinks, irons, and rotary cuts the fabric for her precut fabrics:
Twin Orchards Textiles Right now she has mostly color mixes of batiks. So I'm looking at a couple of her auctions and if I buy one it will be a good way to find how accurate her cutting is.
Those Moda collections are sorely tempting too.
Jelly rolls and such always seem like such a tempting way to get a large variety of fabrics from one collection, but so far I've preferred to cut my own too.
I did just find one seller on eBay who actually preshrinks, irons, and rotary cuts the fabric for her precut fabrics:
Twin Orchards Textiles Right now she has mostly color mixes of batiks. So I'm looking at a couple of her auctions and if I buy one it will be a good way to find how accurate her cutting is.
Those Moda collections are sorely tempting too.
#7
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 30
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Hoffman Bali Pops now carry a "warning" that the strips are cut by hand and variations in strips will occur! A friend in my quilt group made a major complaint to Hoffman after purchasing one for a class and having a lot of uneven strips so they now have this warning on their package!
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