Okay ladies, I went to a garage sale and ended up with 4 bins of quilting fabric. I've washed 2 loads so far, of 1/2 yard to 3-4 yards of fabric. Now I've opened one containing cut pieces of 5" strips, 2 1/4" strips, and 2" squares.

My question is, can I wait to wash after my project is complete, or do I wash them now and end up with a bunch of strings to separate. :roll:

BTW, I actually felt guilty picking up all this fabric. I kept thinking about all the lovely quilts you ladies could make with this stash. Instead, it went to a newbie with only 2 completed tops under her belt. WooHooooooooooooooo!

I'd wash them after unless there is a real need such as animal hair it may bleed or there is something distasteful on them. Then try washing them in a pillowcase or laundry bag.

Wow, you got a good deal if you found that much fabric at a yard sale! good for you! And very thoughtful of you to share like that!

I would definitely wash them afterwards. I've spent too much time separating small peices. Have fun with your new stash. I'm green with envy :)

you can soak them in a sink if they need to be washed for some reason, otherwise i would just dig in. If you are feeling guilty about your new stash, you could always pay it forward on the board and share some of the fabric. just a thought.

If you are worried that one strip may shrimp more than the other you can also iron them as hot as they can handle, maybe with some steam. That will get the shrimp out. ( is the word shrimp of shrink, because at first I used the word shrink everywere but it didn't sound right to me....)

Your first impulse was correct -- "shrink" is what you meant. And that's a really good suggestion! I never thought of doing that.

I think ironing would probably get any shrimp out as well! LOL! (Shrimp are the seafood we eat -- like very small lobsters)

I would just steam iron them also
will save you alot of mess and you will need to iron after washing anyway!
Congrats on your find!
they are rare! you may never find another so don't feel guilty!

Don't feel guilty! We all had to start somewhere. Congrats on your find!

Thanks for the suggestions ladies. I'll give it a try.

Maksi, you are just toooo cute!

After I decide what I need to keep for my future projects, I will be sharing. When, what and how, I can't say. Right now it's a little too hot to iron so it might be a little while.

I've posted pictures of a portion of my new stash.

WooHooooooooooooo!

oh my gosh! why don't I ever find stuff like that??? Do you mind telling us what you paid for it all??? Was it by the piece, or in a lot????

You are going to love digging into such a beautiful stash! A friend and I have been blessed with just about what you are describing and, while you may be overwhelmed, do not give up. Just iron and fold into coordinating color stacks and enjoy bonding with the material. Some of what I got smelled of too much fabric softeners or perfumes so I did wash everything before taking it into my sewing room. Good Luck!

"shrink" is correct, but i absolutely loved your substitution of "shrimp" instead.

in American slang, "shrimp" is often used as a reference to [small] size. so the mental image of fabric "shrimping" was perfect. ;-)

You won't believe it, but I paid $2.00 ea for 4 bins! I also got vintage hankies in the original box for 10 cents, and quilting books for 10 cents ea. I didn't know about the UFO's until I got home, that was an extra bonus. :-P

I don't know what's going on, maybe people are downsizing due to the economy. I'm just glad I'm in the right place at the right time, and it's in my price range. I decided to skip the yard sale today where fabric was $1.00 per yard...darn!

Place the small pieces in a pillow case or laundry bag, toss in the washer.

that tip to put small pcs in a pillow case or laundry bag is great! Wish I knew that before I just washed all the FQ's I just bought at Joann's for 99 cents ea!

You are so lucky! Enjoy your new stash!

PLEASE do NOT feel guilty. You just built your stash and good for you!

What a great find!!! Woo Hoo :D:D:D

Congradulations on your great find! It is amazing. You are going to have alot of hours of fun. Please keep us posted on your projects.

Smaller pieces...put them in a salad spinner with hot water and soap/detergent/whatever. Let it soak...then swish, spin, rinse, spin, rinse spin. Pieces wont tangle like in the washer and you will freshen the pieces. I'm alergic to sizing in fab so I do this with fat quarters.

So glad you found such a good bargain! You will spend hours fondling, dreaming and playing with it. What a wonerful way to add to your stash. We are all so happy for you.

What a great bargain! You did great! Enjoy! And don't feel guilty at all! You have a ready-made stash now!

You were in the right place at the right time. It seems all the yard sales I go to have more knits than cotton.

I want to go shopping with you! I would wash them all before I used them. I want them to shrink or bleed before they go in a quilt.

Dang, you did good. I would be doing summer saults on the lawn with a find like that.

Actually I've hit 3 really good sales this year. My best was 25 cents per plastic grocery bag. I even surprised myself at the amount of fabric I packed in those bags. I'm going to try really, really, hard not to buy any more. It's time to get down to business. :thumbup:

Hey cjomomma, NorbanaQ sent me some of her winnings. I must say that your's looked even worse in person! :lol:

I kept trying to tell everyone it was ugly but no one believed me. Lol

I normally wash and dry fabrics as soon as I get it home. In this case with the strips and UFOs I would not wash them. I also always wash and dry a quilt when I finish it.
Long story short, I would wait until I totally finish a quilt before I washed it.

Don't feel bad about your find. It will just give you incentive to make more quilts. I'm glad you got a wonderful start on your stash.

What a find! Enjoy them all.

Let me take this opportunity to apologize for all of us that didn't believe you. It was really yukkie! :-(

I wouldn't wash it unless it was dirty or smelled....go for it!

Thanks! I have a couple more loads of washing then it's on to ironing. Hopefully it will be a little cooler.

Wow, gooid for you! Enjoy quilting!

Oh, lucky you, such pretty fabrics!

I washed pre-cut pieces because I did not know if they had been washed. BIG mistake, strings all over and now needing to iron and then cut every piece. I enjoy the look of scrap quilts so that is what I will be doing.

I found great directions for a simple Jelly Roll quilt at
http://fromthenestblog.blogspot.com/...y-roll%20quilt I will just be cutting my own 2.5" strips.

Happy stitching,
Jeannette in NJ

What a great find !!!! I saw some fabric in there that I had at one time. lol

I used to wash everything before I would use it in a quilt but now that is not the case. Unless it is a dark color that I don't trust I press it and use it. I have been lucky I guess because I have never had a quilt bleed when washed.
Phyllis

I wouldn't wash them before sewing and if they shrink at different rates then I think it would create an interesting effect with the puckering. Just a thought.

so happy for you. and as another newbie i say you can't have too much fabric! you scored and since you're just starting you need to get your fabric stock up anyway! delighted for you!