WASHING BEFORE GIFTING

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07-31-2011, 01:52 PM

#71

MsEithne

Junior Member

Join Date: Jun 2011

Posts: 294

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoeytoo

What are color catcher sheets?

Both wash and don't wash sides sound reasonable. For my opinion, I'm clean but dust snd cat hair are not toxic so if you want to give me a hand made beautiful quilt with dust and cat hair, i am all for it. Even if you washed it, I'd probably wash it myself too. Just the way I am. But the dust and cat hair ... No Problem! I read somewhere that all the cleaning products that kill germs are causing people to not build up resistance to germs. True or not?

Color catcher sheets are designed to attract any dye molecules floating around in the wash water, in theory.

The germs and resistance theory is one theory.

I spent over three months on a burn unit, so I am not an expert but I was taught a lot about germs in the environment.

Another theory, the one the burn unit nurses taught me, is that using antibacterial products helps breed resistant strains of bacteria by killing off the weaker bacteria and leaving only the strongest to reproduce.

Additionally, the vast majority of bacteria in the average home are either neutral for humans or actually good for humans. These neutral and good bacteria compete with the bad (for humans) bacteria and help crowd them out. If you kill off all the bacteria in the environment, you are creating a risk that what re-colonises the area will be mostly bad bacteria.

07-31-2011, 01:57 PM

#72

CAS49OR

Super Member

Join Date: Mar 2011

Posts: 2,667

Quote:

Originally Posted by Launie

I wash before gifting. I like how they puff up, and that can hide small imperfections in my newbie FMQ attempts. Also, once washed, I go over them to see if any stitches or seams need repair.

Exactly!

07-31-2011, 02:05 PM

#73

CAS49OR

Super Member

Join Date: Mar 2011

Posts: 2,667

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsEithne

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoeytoo

Well, I'm allergic to cats and dust mites, so I guess if someone gave me a quilt I would prefer the dander off it. I'm still sticking with my theory that washing it after it's done makes it nice, puffy, and soft.

07-31-2011, 04:35 PM

#74

Suz

Super Member

Join Date: Nov 2006

Location: Central PA

Posts: 1,920

I wash. The Quilts of Valor that I make are required to be washed owing they are often going into a hospital setting. I prefer the crinkled look myself.

07-31-2011, 04:48 PM

#75

rozzi80

Member

Join Date: Jul 2011

Location: Chicago area

Posts: 21

I wash bed quilts and baby quilts. I don't wash wall hangings. To me, baby quilts look best all soft and cuddly and it also makes the quilting more obvious.

07-31-2011, 08:42 PM

#76

madamekelly

Super Member

Join Date: Jul 2010

Location: Central Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

Posts: 7,695

I always wash first. It gets more of the sizing out of the fabrics, and also removes and dust, lint, animal hairs, etc. accumulated during the making process. None of us has a perfectly clean house!! Certainly not me!! :-)[/quote]

You peeked!

07-31-2011, 09:56 PM

#77

mosaicthinking

Senior Member

Join Date: Mar 2010

Location: Melbourne. Australia

Posts: 303

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldswimmer

I am curious too...how you pre-shrink batting for your quilts. In a machine, or bath tub? Thanks for any insight!

I'm sure this has been answered already, but just in case, my preferred method is to use the wool setting on my front-loader washing machine and no washing detergent. This is a very gentle approach. I hate hand-washing, so that's just not gonna happen.

I dry the batting on an indoor clothes airing rack. I wouldn't dare use the drier.

08-01-2011, 05:11 AM

#78

DonnaFreak

Senior Member

Join Date: Jan 2011

Location: Kentucky

Posts: 493

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tartan

I have washed quilts and I just block then to dry and they come out nice and flat. I wash gently (fill the machine with water and colour catchers) hand agitate (so I can keep an eye on everything) spin and remove. If everything looks good, I pop it in the dryer for a little while and take it out when still damp. I take it into the spare room and block it on the carpet nice and flat. I close the door and mention for no one to go in until the quilt is dry. (usually overnight)

Where do you find the color catchers? Is this something you have to get at the quilting shops, or can you find them somewhere like Wal-Mart?

08-01-2011, 06:43 AM

#79

Gerbie

Super Member

Join Date: Jan 2010

Location: Some where in way out West Texas

Posts: 3,041

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonnaFreak

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tartan

Where do you find the color catchers? Is this something you have to get at the quilting shops, or can you find them somewhere like Wal-Mart?

You can buy them at Walmart or most grocery stores. At my WalMart they are around the fabric softener sheets. The ones I get here are Shout Color Catcher in a small red box about 1 1/2" thick by 6" long with the Shout logo and a multi colored bullseye target on it. There are 24 to a box. I know there are other brands, but this is what I was able to get. They certaintly seem to work for me.