I have alway prewashed my fabric. I enjoy and like the cleaness of it. I use best press on yardage and spray starch on strips and blocks and bricks. So I get the wonderful fresh aroma of best press when I re-iron the smaller pieces.

Today I washed several packs of charms and two of candy bars. Of course they were the right size to begin with. 5 x 5 and 2 1/2 by 5. Not now! I'll have to recut them to a smaller size. They might make it to 4 x 4 and 2 x 5. So much for the quilt I had planned and also the labor saved. I am really disappointed, mostly because of the time. I can still use them in a different pattern, which is good, but not the one I had planned. So not all is in vain. But I now need chocolate. Lots of chocolate!!

:(

So did they shrink that much, or ravel?

Wow...sorry. I'm new to this and have thought about picking up charm packs for my next project. Did they unravel? Enjoy your chocolate!

the fabric companies who cut the specialty cuts always say the pre-cuts are not intended to be pre-washed- but they also say they will not shrink---they just do not know us quilters at all---
i've had the same thing happen- and the lqs told me not to pre-wash- but also said= they won't shrink...well i did - was using for a swap where the rules said must be pre-washed- oh well-
glad you could laugh it off and still use your pieces- i did too- what else are we to do??? :)

they don't (unravel) they shrink a bit

The bars had more unraveling and shrinkage and the charms more shrinkage. It didn't matter which way I twisted and turned the fabric it would not meet the original size.

all the instructions that come with pre-cuts say not to pre-wash.

I'm sorry!

I've got to start reading. Didn't think about instx. Silly me.

Just curious 'cause I'm not a pre-washer, do you you use hot water and a hot dryer? Or do you get shrinkage with cold water, too?