Thread: UNwashed fabrics

Originally Posted by tessagin

My reason for prewashing is not only for shrinkage but also for bleeding of fabric. If you think it won't bleed that will be the one that does. All that hard work and having to work even harder for bleeds. Another reason that I believe bears repeating (and I have seen it happen) is health and cleaning issues. I live in a warm area down by the Gulf. So it gets hot and humid and people sweat profusely. One day while shopping for fabric in a big box store a woman came from the outside and was perspiring like it had been raining. She walked up to some fabric, wiped her head and face and the back of her neck. Another woman brought it to a clerks attention. They got a security guard to usher her out. She had no intention of purchasing that fabric. The clerk with instructions from the manager took the bolt of fabric back to the cutting table and cut a good 1 1/2 yds off the bolt. There was dirt on the fabric. Disgusting! That is why (even if you can't see it) I prewash. Ever hear of imbetigo (often called infantigo) easily passed and highly contagious. And other infectious diseases. Call me a fanatic if you want but do you really want to pass it onto the person you're making it for. And yes I wash my hands after sorting laundry and handling soiled laundry.

GAK! I can't get that image out of my head!

UGH I can just see that now. I live where it is hot and dry, but hard to think of anyone being that gross and doing that in a store whether it is a fab. store or a clothing store. Glad she was ushered out and hopefully not allowed to come in again. I always prewash my fabric and use retayne, especially after making a queen size DWR quilt, with prewashed fabric, that bled after the first wash- it was made with greens and cream colored fabric- one of the greens bled all over and I never could get it out- the quilt was not dried in the dryer, but I tried everything and all suggestions, it is still there. I find that when handling some new fabric even if it has been washed first cues my ns to really dry out, and get very rough. I understand that formaldehyde is used on a lot of fabrics. My only guess as to why would be to preserve the dye color on the fabric. Has anyone else heard this?

tessagain - that is awful! but I can see it happening....wash the fabric first!!!

Polyester batting doesn't shrink, whereas cotton batting does. You don't get as much crinkling with polyester batting, but you still get a nice soft-looking result. Definitely try it to see what it looks like.

I remember the very first quilt I made. Pre-washed all the fabric, hand quilted it, and used all-cotton batting. It crinkled so much I took it to a quilt shop to ask if I had done something wrong! Nope. That is the way cotton batting acts.

To prevent staining from dye bleeds when I don't prewash fabric, I make sure the first washing of a quilt is done in a washing machine that uses ***lots*** of hot water and wash with Synthrapol. Front-loading domestic washing machines do not use enough water to dilute dye bleeds, so I go to the local laundromat. For a large quilt, I use their largest front-loading washer. Synthrapol helps loose dye particles remain suspended in water so they are rinsed away instead of settling into fabrics where you don't want them.

I prewash all my fabrics (except small precuts which I typically do not use). I use cotton batting (W&N). I also wash my quilts when complete for a host of reasons. Get the wonderful crinkly look all the time. I, too, believe that you will get a more crinkled look with cotton vs poly batting. I don't think our quilting fabric alone generally shrinks enough to make a significant difference overall in creating that look. Batting, imo, is the major factor.

....all I'm going to say is I don't prewash...before or after.......

I don't think pre-washing fabric or not has to do with the crinkle. I think that's all in the batting. I haven't worked with polyester, but even my pre-washed Warm & Natural batting crinkled! You'll definitely get a crinkle with cotton batting.