Maggiem

I have no allergies or other health reasons to prewash, and have very little time or desire to spend hours ironing. I find unwashed fabric cuts better, and colour catchers work well, so I do not prewash. Every quilt I make gets washed when it is finished, before it is given away.

cathyvv

I wash everything in my stash - to prevent a proliferation of vermin and because the sizing/smells in the fabric cause me major allergy problems. After the fabric is dried, I fold it neatly (or not so neatly) and put it away. When I use it, I iron it.

skeetersmom

Thanks so much to each one of you for your input. I must say that I am still a bit apprehensive
about either method......washing before or after. I guess I will do one method or the other. hehe. Seriously, I think I'll take a chance since the prints I'm going to use look pretty "safe". Will wash it after it is quilted for chemicals though.
Thanks again to each one of you!

petthefabric

I prewash;
To remove chemicals, dust, bugs I don't want living in my house
To relax the weave of the fabric after being twisted onto a bolt so the grain will be as straight as possible
To remove any excess dye (after washing 4 times, it still bled when removing the water soluble quilting marks)
To see the real color and real texture and real weight (too thin, trouble ahead)
To shrink
To see how much it will wrinkle
I want to see the fabric, not what sizing does to fabric

my-ty

I wash everything how else will you know what will happen when the fabric is washed for the first time? I would much rather not have any surprise happen after I have made a quilt. Yes, you loose the crisp look but you will loose that crisp look the first time your quilt.

While taking a quilting class (using quality fabrics), some of the students were complaining that their fabric was giving them grief, pulling or stretching as they sewed their blocks. Those that prewashed their fabric did not have any complaints.

I wash my fabrics immediately after buying them. I love to look at them as they dry and as I iron them. It gives me time to appreciate each one and to daydream how I will use them. To me, this is part of the quilting process and I don't see ever changing!

Suzette316

I totally respect your thoughts on this, but even if you don't have allergies those chemicals can affect you and of course others in your house (including pets) just might have an adverse reaction to all those chemicals in the air.

And I am a pre-washer, but I don't iron all that fabric at once when it comes out of the dryer. (Oh man, what a terrible day that would be! lol) I just fold the fabric neatly and put it on the shelf. When I need some of that fabric, I cut off what I need, spritz it with some homemade starch and give it a nice press. All that crispness from when it was new comes right back. And to be honest, on the few pieces I have not prewashed (I once did a small quilt for a friend who loves that big puckered look that you get when you wash a quilt that had fabrics not prewashed), I still had to spritz and press that fabric to get out fold lines and even a few wrinkles from being on the bolt, so I didn't really save any time or effort there anyway.

All this to say, I respect both takes on this subject. But I do like to throw out some facts that maybe weren't thought about before and see if it makes a difference in someone else's life. Especially concerning the chemicals. But, to each his (or her) own!! Happy quilting!!

quilter2090

I pre-wash everything fabric that comes in my house. I have chemical sensitivities and I can't stand the smell from unwashed fabric from the manufacturing process. Plus, the fabric is made overseas and I want all the residue from the manufacturing process removed before I handle it. I asked my favorite LQS owner if she washed her fabrics before using. She said no, most people don't anymore. I was purchasing some fabric that day and I held out the fabric to her and told her to smell it. I told her my fabric has to be washed before I use it. She smiled and agreed that I had to wash, but she said most people don't now. For me, I would rather know before making the quilt if there is going to be problems with the fabric. And yes, I have bought LQS fabric and noticed problems. For me, pre-washing is a must.

bearisgray

Me, too!

I started measuring fabrics before and after washing and drying them - just to see if washing and drying was worth the effort. I learned that fabrics do not shrink evenly - some have shrunk over two inches in width (and that includes LQS fabrics) - Some don't shrink at all.

If you were using crosswise-cut fabric on an 80 inch border and it shrank four inches - and the rest of the quilt didn't shrink much - would you be happy with the result?

quiltinghere

I've washed everything in the past....BUT I do have fabric in large yardages that I haven't washed...yet.

I also heard that if you make a quilt you should keep washed with washed and unwashed with unwashed...so that they shrink together. Especially fronts and backs. Mixing them will cause large variations.

Anyone hear or experience that?

Nan

omaluvs2quilt

I almost always pre-wash. I prefer working with the fabric after its clean & starched, and I always wash the final product before gifting. I've handled it, marked on it, put glue in it, and laid it on the floor for the quilt inspectors to approve : )

I lost almost a foot off the last backing I pre-washed, SO happy I found that out before I quilted it! I just started a new Northcott panel quilt (I don't prewash panels, they don't stay square) and decided to pour liquid starch with cold water into the tub and there was instant color bleed...wondering how this is going to work. Thinking I see lots of color catchers in this quilt's future!!!