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Each different cotton, and each different batting type will result in a quilt "blooming" in an individual manner. For me that is the part that is exciting, seeing how each quilt looks after its first "bath". As long as you quilt following the distance guidelines for your choice of batting, you will usually be happy with the results.
If you always do, what you have always done, The results never change. Change is the wings you give yourself.
Has anyone else had this problem? I have always washed my fabric before using but love to play with it awhile and admire it before it goes into the wash. Lately however after handling it my hands have turned red and started itching and burn. One of the women that cuts fabric where I buy a lot of fabric told me she had to go to the emergency room after unpacking a order of new fabric with blisters all over her palms. Now I am wondering if they are putting something new in fabric or am I just starting to react to something that has not bothered me before. So, just wondering if anyone else is having the same problem.
I have to wear vinyl gloves to handle new fabric because the new finishes really aggravate my hands and cause severe exzema outbreaks. I have also used a think coating of baby cream before and after and washing my hands after sewing has helped a lot.Originally Posted by crafty pat
If you always do, what you have always done, The results never change. Change is the wings you give yourself.
I am apparently allergic to some of the dyes in fabric. If I don't prewash, my hands get red from handling it (and no, not dye-red ;-), rash and irritation red ). I think dyes are basically toxic, so I prefer to get them out of my house right away. Thus, I always prewash before even putting away stash fabrics.
If you want to use polyester batting and you want some crinkle, you'll still get some even if you pre-wash the fabrics. Just hang-dry them so they don't get dryer shrinkage! Once the quilt is made and washed, they will shrink unevenly around the quilting, making for a bit of crinkly effect. Yes, polyester batted quilts do give you less crinkle.
Otherwise, using washed fabrics with cotton batting gives you the effect, yes. 50/50 cotton poly might be a nice compromise. I agree with you though that certainly for a baby quilt, the lightweightedness of polyester is desirable.
I don't wash my fabrics first. Why wash out the sizing & then starch it like crazy? I use both cotton and sometimes the 80/20 battings. I do wash when I'm done and they always look fine!
I bought some 80/20 batting last week and I'm thinking to try this. Thanks for the report! That makes me feel a bit more comfortable!
Kristi
I don't pre wash before or after the quilt is completed, I do send instructions on how to wash along with color catchers and their directions, my question is...so far I have only used Hobbs 80/20, will this still give a nice crinkled antiqued look after drying it in the dryer. As you can tell I'm still new & have sent out newly made quilts for Christmas as described earlier in this post. I have made my DH a lap quilt but it hasn't been washed yet so I don't know how it will look. One more little question can the 100% cotton be quilted closer together than the 80/20 batting. Thanks in advance once again for all your help.
Jeri
You won't get that crinkly look with poly batting. I use poly exclusively and they don't crinkle. Use cotton for that look.
I don't like working with unwashed fabric, as I'm sensitive to the smells of all the 'sizings' and stuff in the fabric. I want to wash and get that all out of it first. It's the cotton batting shrinking that creates the 'crinkling', anyway, not the top fabrics.
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"The reward of a thing well done is having done it." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I just got some white fabric that I ordered. I took it out of the box and the chemical smell was overwhelming. I immediately threw it in the wash. There was no way I could have worked with that fabric. My eyes were watering by the time I got it in the wash.
I have had allergy problems most of my life. Sometimes are much worse than others. There have been times when I could not walk into a fabric store because of the dyes and chemicals. I would have a headache and feel sick to my stomach within 10 minutes. The last 6 years or so have not been bad but that fabric HAD to be washed.
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