Plan to use a 1-1/8" wide rick rack appliqued on a baby quilt border. I know these are often used on purses and bags that are not usually washed. It's 100% polyester. I don't usually pre-wash my fabrics (I know - this is an ongoing debate) but am concerned it may shrink. Maybe I'm thinking of old cotton rick rack from my sewing days in the 1960's :-)

I'll be watching this post. I don't know the answer. I have a lot of rick rack -old and new.

I put mine in a little lingerie bag, washed and dried it :D:D:D

The old cotton rickrack will definitely shrink. I don't think the new stuff does but it would be worthwhile to wash it just to be safe!

polyester will not shrink...

I forgot to mention the rick rack is red. I got to worrying about it so I followed your advice, put it in a sock bag and threw it in the washer with some old dark colored towels. It's in the spin cycle now and the water has been clear - so the red didn't run, which surprised me. I'll let you know more about shrinkage after it's been thru the dryer.

i dont think the poly should shrink

I know cotton ric-rac shrinks, but you should be OK with the newer polyester ones. The zigzag shape is forgiving ehough for a tiny bit of shrinkage, just don't stretch it when sewing.

Ok, here's the results. After washing and drying, the 1-1/4" red rick rack did not fade - I purchased 6 yards - and the length was still 6 yards. It curled on the edges only slightly but ironed out easily, and I'm sure once it's sewn down that won't be a problem. I forgot to check the cut ends before it was washed. One end had tape on it from the store and it was okay. The other cut end frayed for about and inch or so. - So, in the future I won't worry about polyester rick rack running/fading or shrinking. I'll just sew it on.

Well, that was nice of you to do the test and share the results with the rest of us. It's good to know, I had not thought about it shrinking, thanks for the info.