To wash or not to wash- that is the question
#11
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,660
Woven cotton fabrics do not shrink at the same rate or in the same direction.
Some shrink mostly lengthwise, some shrink mostly crosswise. Very few shrink at the same rate in both directions.
From the hundreds of fabrics that I measured, before and after washing, the amount of shrinkage varied from none that I could detect, to over two inches (on a 42 inch width) and over 2 inches per yard in length.
And that was before I started soaking the fabrics in hot water/
Some shrink mostly lengthwise, some shrink mostly crosswise. Very few shrink at the same rate in both directions.
From the hundreds of fabrics that I measured, before and after washing, the amount of shrinkage varied from none that I could detect, to over two inches (on a 42 inch width) and over 2 inches per yard in length.
And that was before I started soaking the fabrics in hot water/
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,497
Here's how I feel... if the finished project is something that is going to typically washed ( pillowcases, baby quilts), it makes sense to wash the fabric first. Wash it with a color catcher.
If it is something that generally won't be washed (a wallhanging, art quilt, purse), there is less need to pre-wash your fabrics.
The only exception would be a striped or linear print fabric. I have found washing causes the stripes/lines to get crooked and you'll need to cut it off grain, so you may want to skip washing these.
If it is something that generally won't be washed (a wallhanging, art quilt, purse), there is less need to pre-wash your fabrics.
The only exception would be a striped or linear print fabric. I have found washing causes the stripes/lines to get crooked and you'll need to cut it off grain, so you may want to skip washing these.
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,402
I wash all fabrics that come into the house - but that's because of the chemicals on the new fabric irritates my hands. And also, because I have had fabric shrink, discolor and lose its body. I don't buy cheap fabric but weird things can happen and I want to know it before I put it into a project. (I even wash pre-cuts.)
#15
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Between the dashes of a tombstone
Posts: 12,716
#16
I wash everything I quilt with, it's a habit I got into years ago when I first started out. I don't machine wash, I hand wash, I feel like I have a little more control over it and I can actually see if one fabric is a bleeder or not. I know there are color catching sheets available, I don't quite trust them to tell me the whole truth all the time, but that's my hang-up. So, I hand wash and if I get one that's going to bleed too much, I'll put it through the machine.
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: western arkansas
Posts: 2,077
I wash all fabric (that is washable) before cutting into it and making a quilt. Some colors will bleed excessively (batiks) and some not at all. Please either wash or not wash all the fabrics used in the quilt. A few fabrics still shrink too. MHO
#19
Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 19
How interesting. My experience is that batiks bleed less than other fabric because it has to go through at least one wash cycle after dying at the factory to remove the wax resist that makes the design.
#20
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
Posts: 9,475
I pre-wash all of my fabrics before I start a quilt. I made a black, white and red quilt for my grandson and when it was washed it did not bleed thank goodness. If I remember right-I washed the black and red fabrics twice.