batik question
 

I am going to make myself a jacket out of batik fabric. Will it shrink? Do I need to prewash? I kind of hope not because I want to get started on it tonight. The patterns states that it is truly a 3 hour project. Yeah, right! It's been a long, long time since I have sewn any clothes.

I always prewash but I think it is really a personal prefrence. Would not want to put that much work in to it just to have it shrink when washed. I understand wanting to get started right away though!!!!

I would wash it by hand. Not so much for the shrinkage - but for the bleeding. I just got done gently hand washing all of my batiks - over 200 pieces - from fat quarters to yardage - and at least half of it bled. I did all of them in a pure white dish pan in my kitchen sink and most of the darker, brighter colors turned the water into colored water. I gently rung the water out of them and then rolled up in big thirsty towels and let them sit for awhile. Then I hung them over a clothesline in my living room that my DH put up for me - I did not want them outside in the sun. Most did not wrinkly too much this way.

I just asked about this in the chat room. Someone said that it probably wouldn't shrink but that color bleeding might be a problem. Shoot! I guess I will go throw it in the washer. Thanks for your help mighty.

Nikkilu, is there a reason not to just wash it in the washer and then dry in the dryer? Why hand wash?

Smaller pieces will get very tangled- also you might want to throw some color catchers in the wash with them. When I was washing my Batiks even the blues and greens ran :( there is also a chemical you can get to help set the colors--Retayne- had to think for a moment LOL

This is a 4 yard piece of fabric.

No, had just washed dishes and had a clean white dishpan and decided to dunk a few bright fat quarters in the water with a drop of soap and boy was I surprised. I swished the FQ around a bit and then rinsed until the water was clear. I actually had to throw away two pieces that would never quit bleeding. One was a very dark blue - the other had green in it.

Thanks for your quick replies everyone. It is in the washer.

since it is a batik, i would definitely wash it first.