JanTx

I have never been a pre-washer (except for flannels), but I'm making a commissioned quilt with deep purples and greens so ... did for someone else what I haven't been willing to do for myself. I threw a white terry dish cloth in each load just out of curiosity. I did 4 loads - one of greens, one purples, one blacks, and one the purple backing. It's the backing that did the most damage. So ... more trouble? You bet! but ... can't imagine all my hard work and her hard dollars ending up like this if I hadn't pre-washed.

The picture is two dish towels - one that was washed with the purple backing and another for comparison.

dunster

Very graphic example. So does this mean you will be prewashing for yourself from now on???

JanTx

Good question and probably not! I've always prewashed flannels and have done some deep colors. The few I've done with colors this deep were baby quilts so not quite so much fabric to fool with. As a general rule? Nah!

Sewnoma

Isn't it amazing? I'm always impressed by how much dye is in my color catchers. I'm a dedicated pre-washer, myself, and sometimes I wonder if it's worth all the hassle....then I look at my color catchers and think..."yep, worth it!"

DebraK

purples are tough, even when you dye your own cloth.

JanTx

I made a purple and green baby quilt once. Those marbles mixed with butterfly fabric. I tested the purple/greens and... yep, they bled. I prewashed those more than once and gifted it with a box of Color Catchers.

I also found that some of this very nice fabric went a bit wonky. Interesting!

PurplePassion

I just washed an I Spy quilt that I made with some blocks from an exchange. I always prewash my own fabrics. The color catcher came out pink.

Jingle

I'm glad you decided to pre-wash the fabrics. Tell your client to always wash the finished quilt with a color catcher or two. That is what I do.

cowgirlquilter

Wow.....glad I always pre wash.......

happyquiltmom

Pre-washing is purely a personal preference. However, having said that, I have always pre-washed; at first, because I was taught to do it when I learned dressmaking 40 years ago. Then, when I started working at the LQS, my boss told me about all the chemicals used to treat fabric so that insects and other vermin would not be attracted to it during shipping to the US. You wouldn't believe how sticky and nasty my hands get after a day of cutting fabric at the shop! Anyway, now I pre-wash everything just to get those chemicals out of the fabric before I start working with it. It's one of the reasons I don't normally use precuts.