gaevren

I pre-wash everything for three reasons:

1. Bleeding potential- I'd rather not worry about it!
2. Chemicals in the fabric. I'd rather wash them out first thing!
3. That crinkly look- I really am not a fan of it.

brushandthimble

I usually pre-wash, but have gotten out of the habit.
Made a bag for a b'day gift, did not pre-wash and it ran when she used it in the rain. LQS fabric.

blueangel

I seldom pre wash unless it's red or a bold color. Never jhad a problem yet.

caliquocat

I pre wash my fabric in case of shrinkage, bleeding or finishes causing any problems. When it's stored in my closet, I know it's clean & ready to use.

quilt-fanatic

Pre-wash and iron is just another way for me to play with my fabric! Also allows me to see if some are too thin and replace it for a certain project.

babalu

I usually prewash, too, except for using precuts. Recently,when I was in a quilt store, I was speaking to the owner about mixing unwashed precuts with fabric I had already washed, because I was worried about uneven shrinkage. She told me that cottons don't shrink as much as they used to due to the production process, which is why fabrics have gone from 44" to 42" in width. I have combined prewashed and precuts in quilts, with no problems. (And I will always prewash yardage, just because I like working with it better!)

Dodie

I always prewash as I have ran into problems when I didn't I did a block of the month Eleanor Burns applique in a day with precut pieces and after all that work it bled really bad and besides I do not like the chemicals I never do exchanges for this reason just my idea

Steady Stiching

What she said : )

jpmaroni

I've seen beautiful quilts ruined with colors running. I spend too much money and time to ruin something precious. I starch when needed to give stability to fabric. From what I gather, that's the reason some have not to wash.

fudge and furs

I always pre wash. Same reason as most that do. However my washing machine does not have a gentle cycle so I fill the machine using regular cycle for a very short time. :idea: With long lengths of fabric, not on the selvage edge, but the cut edges I sew across with a fine stitch before washing. This keeps the raw edges from unraveling during the wash cycle. Then I also have poured water into my clean bathtub with liquid gentle laundry soap, swished it around a lot, put the fabric in the washer to spin, swish the fabric in clean water and back to the washer to spin. Small pieces, ie: half yards are hung on a drying rack. Extra work, but saves the fabric.