Thread: Preparing fabric for Quilting: a few questions

I used to be a no wash person but recently decided that I wanted to prewash and starch my fabric. I have a couple of questions ( and they may sound really stupid but here goes)
1. Everything I read said that I should prewash and then dry just to dampness because the dryer will creat wrinkles that are hard to press out. Can I just hang dry and then iron later? Will it be just as hard to get the wrinkles out?

2. When do I add the starch? To the water when it is washing? Do I spray it on later? I remember taking a basic skills class a while ago and really liked the stiff feel of the fabric and my seams were much closer to 1/4 inch.



Thanks in advance for everyones help!

Liz

I do as Dunster. It is easier to press if taken out of the dryer slightly damp but I always forget and dry them to bone-ness. I keep a spray bottle at my ironing board and spritz with water as I am ironing. I use starch inconsistently so if I am going to use it, I starch just before cutting. If I am working with big yardage, I may lop off a smaller portion to starch. When starching I spray and let it soak into the fabric before ironing again.

Originally Posted by ManiacQuilter2

I don't pre-wash my fabrics because I live in an apt complex. I use spray starch before I cut from yardage and then sometimes just when I am doing a final pressing before I do trim (I like to oversize) the block. There are various ways of approaching quilting and you have to find what works best for you.

You could soak the fabric in buckets, rinse, and dry over a clothes drying rack set in your bath tub or shower.

The fabric dries with fewer wrinkles if the dryer is not overloaded.

I have a dryer that lets me set how "done/dry" I want things to be. I do dry similar things in together - towels with towels, lightweights with lightweights, etc.

If drying a really long length of fabric - I check every few minutes and untangle it.

Usually the fabric is not very wrinkled when I take it out of the dryer. I think it's letting it set for hours in a rumpled heap before folding it that puts in the wrinkles.

In general, I also prefer to not add starch or sizing to washed fabric before cutting it.

Exception: When I know the pieces will be very small or have several bias edges.

Originally Posted by bearisgray

...If drying a really long length of fabric - I check every few minutes and untangle it...

One solution to tangling on long pieces, I learned not long ago from a friend:

Accordion fold the fabric, generally I use about 24"
Stitch the fabric together at the selvedges
I use Junk top thread and a pullable bottom thread like topstitch
Wash/Dry
take out the stitching

No Tangling.

I prewashed a knit yardage that was very wide, I only made that accordion about 14 inches

I have been using this on my backing fabrics & anything over 1-1/2 yards.

Originally Posted by quiltmouse

One solution to tangling on long pieces, I learned not long ago from a friend:

Accordion fold the fabric, generally I use about 24"
Stitch the fabric together at the selvedges
I use Junk top thread and a pullable bottom thread like topstitch
Wash/Dry
take out the stitching

No Tangling.

I prewashed a knit yardage that was very wide, I only made that accordion about 14 inches

I have been using this on my backing fabrics & anything over 1-1/2 yards.

I do this as well but instead of stitching I just use some large safety pins and pin several across the folded edges. It keeps the layers together and are easy to take out when finished.