Washing completed quilt top before quilting?
 

I am making my first quilt with a layer cake pack. I did not pre-wash the squares, but when I am finished sewing the quilt top, should I wash it then? I plan to use a minky fabric on the back, so I am not sure if the materials will shrink differently once the quilt is completed and washed. Any advice or tips are welcome because I am a very green sewer and quilter! Thank you!

you need to wait until your quilt is quilted & bound before washing- otherwise you will have quite a mess to deal with. don't worry about it---unless you have deep, saturated colors that may run- if that is the case then when the quilt is completed toss in color catchers- or use synthropol (an agent that will keep running colors suspended in the water-not on other fabrics) as for the shrinkage---the quilting and batting will play a roll too- I've backed many quilts with minkie- sometimes I pre-wash , sometimes I don't, often my quilts contain both pre-washed and new (unwashed) fabrics- I've never had a problem because of that. since the minkie is polyester you will want to wash your FINISHED quilt in cool water- I toss mine into a regular dryer cycle- they turn out just fine. my concerns with prewashing are usually based on- is the fabric a loose weave- needs to be tightened up? is it a thin flannel? will it bleed? (I test to see) does it feel funky? does it smell funky? does it have marks, soil, stains on it-sometimes from spending a long time on the bolt in a shop?

I agree completely with ckcowl. Never ever wash just a quilt top. It will be impossible to get it pressed again, the seams will all fray (and the threads will tangle up), and some of the seams may come undone as a result.

I'm with the others, don't wash a quilt top.

Welcome to this wonderful board.

I also would never wash a top, for the reasons mentioned above. I've seen what happens (I work in a LQS) Yikes!

Many years ago, when I could still crawl on the floor, I basted a quilt on the floor, left it overnight, and found the next morning that my cat had urinated right smack-dab in the middle of it! I sprinkled it with baking soda and let it dry, then brushed it off. It still smelled somewhat, but not as bad, and I proceeded to quilt it. When it was done, I washed it, and the smell and stain disappeared.

I have done it - with a queen size jelly roll quilt. I folded it in fourths and safety pinned it around the edges. Then I washed it on the gentle cycle with cold water and a little laundry detergent. It came out ok.

Unpinned it and put it in the dryer to dry.

Luckily, I had no problems with it, but now I wonder exactly what I was thinking! It was early in my quilting experience, so I can only explain it as ignorance! I don't recommend it to anyone!

I would "NEVER" wash a quilt before you have done the quilting!!! You might end up with a lot of pieces!!!

I have a quilt top that someone washed, that I'll never get it flat enough to quilt, but I'm gonna try it. It isn't a quilt if I don't finish it.

Don't wash until it is finished. What dunster and ckcowl said is true. Ask me how I know. :(

CK is a pretty smart cookie. You can't go wrong listening to her advice. The only way I would wash a completed quilt top is to put it into a king size pillow case and put a knot in the end of the case. Then only on gentle.