Wash your fabric? Old subject seeking new answers - -
 

I know this has been discussed before. But have any of you had a change of heart when it comes to washing fabric?

Jenny Doan did a Q & A and said that using good fabrics, because of better dyes being used these days, and better techniques, that she doesn't wash, and hasn't had a problem.

What is your latest opinion?

TIA,
Skeetersmom:confused:

I agree with Jenny. I never prewash. I only use the quilt shop only fabrics. No problems!
Sandy

I wash. Every now and then I still get a fabric that bleeds like crazy -- usually batiks but occasionally a regular print -- and every now and then I still get one that shrinks more than others. I think it's also easier to see after washing and machine drying whether the print really is printed on the straight grain of the fabric.

I've never used charm packs or jelly rolls because I can't figure out how I'd get them washed and dried without taking lots of trouble LOL .

I'm with toolazy, I always wash and dry everything. I too refuse to use precuts for the very reason she gives. I have been frogging now for several days on a customer quilt that the "quilt shop" backing sagged so much during quilting that I got puckers. It all has to come out, 36 x 79" was quilted before the problem began. It will not beat me. I fwill shrink and starch this baby then prebaste since I know I have a problem with it. It only takes a couple of incidents before you will wash and dry before hand. I'm not taking a chance on color run or uneven shrinkage on my quilts.

Same here. I use to prewash, but that was before I started using all the pre-cuts. Now when I finish a quilt, when I wash it, I just throw in a couple of color catchers and so far have not had any problems.

I wash red and navy blue fabrics if I am also using light colors in the quilt.

I never pre-wash, been quilting since mid 70's and I have never had a problem.

Do you think with our modern dyes, that washing first is still necessary? I only wash fabric like a red flannel (still needs to be washed again, therefore, no quilt made yet), or a fabric to be used in a "trade block" and was required to have been washed first. I use color catchers and haven't had a problem yet. I've been quilting less than 5 years, but have made about 2 dozen quilt projects, so maybe I'm just lucky.
I prefer to cut unwashed fabric for sewing because I think I cut more accurately, but I (nearly) always wash clothing prior to wearing.

My main reason for prewashing is to catch those bleeders....and yes, I still find one now and then. I would rather prewash and fix the issue then, instead of risking a ruined quilt after completion. I also never know what the fabric has been subjected to...chemicals, dust, dirt, bugs....I want all that out of the way as soon as possible by washing as soon as it comes into the house. I once made a quilt with red and white, prewashed all the fabrics and thought I was good to go....wrong....after completion and the wash to make it all crinkly, the red was still bleeding all over the white. I had even used the color catchers. I now pretreat all bleeders with Retayne - end of problems.

I wash everything before I use it, mainly because I want the dust and chemicals out of the fabric before I use it. I also want it all pre-shrunk so I don't have to worry about uneven shrinkage after it's pieced. I don't usually have trouble with bleeding but just last week had one fabric (red) that kept bleeding. I prefer to find that out before it's in a quilt top next to white fabric.