Thread: Prewashing / Ironing fabric

Could you please let me know what you generally do regarding prewashing your quilting fabric, trims, foundations etc? I have heard many people always prewash - but was wondering if this included charm packs, jelly rolls, layer cakes & kits. I just bought the new Jo Morton charm pack and am dying to begin piecing...

I agree, I only prewash yardage before cutting into it----don't prewash precuts of any size. They will likely fray or shrink and then won't be the correct sizes. The ONLY time I prewashed a charm square was when I worried about bleeding (it was red) so I gently set it in a flat tray of water to soak an hour--then laid flat on a towel to dry. It worked out OK.

If you are buying good quality fabrics (except batiks), there is generally no need to wash any of them if your only purpose is to prevent bleeding or shrinkage. Fabric production has greatly improved over the years & it's almost never necessary for those purposes. Pre-cuts can often come a tiny bit unraveled in the washing process & since they are already so small, fabric companies typically advise against washing pre-cuts.

Because I have severe allergies & chemical sensitivities and also only make baby quilts (and babies also have sensitive skin), I always wash ALL of my fabrics when they first come into my home. I toss them in on the hand-wash cycle in my washer on the coldest setting (Tap Water Cold) with a couple Tbsp of Tide Free. I have occasionally actually washed them by hand, but only if I really need every last bit of the pre-cut because that's a lot of work for very little difference. I generally toss them in the dryer after clipping any stray thread, on the Low heat cycle. If it is a very tiny amount, like a charm or mini charm, I will lay them out on a drying rack instead.

In addition to allergies, if you are planning to work with fusible web, many of them work best with the sizing removed (by washing). In that case, regardless of the size of fabric, I would always suggest pre-washing.

Other than those two reasons, there really is no reason to ever pre-wash anything except batiks & lower-quality fabrics (and maybe some super saturated red quilter's cotton ... although I've never had any issues with Moda or RK Kona reds bleeding).

I wash all washable components before cutting them.

I figure the reasons for washing yardage are equally as valid for smsll pieces.

Originally Posted by ManiacQuilter2

I don't pre-wash my fabrics. It was always too much work to wash and then press the fabric. I live in apt complex now so I don't have the convenience of a W/D. I do pre-check my darker reds, blues and purple and only had a problem with one dark navy. I prefer the starch already on the fabric when piecing. I have read and heard that you are not suppose to wash charms or jelly roils because you won't have the size or width after drying.

You may want to consider checking ANY and ALL intensely colored fabrics - including yellows. I had a Moda yellow spill color. Interestingly enough, the dark red, dark brown, and dark green pieces from the same line seemed to be color fast.