crowley7

I have a lot of fabric that I would like to cut into 2 1/2 " strips. Should I wash the fabric first or leave it like the precuts I purchase are.?

meyert

I don't prewash precuts, but I do wash my yardage before I start on a project. I know people who think I am silly and tell me that if I buy good material there is no need to prewash... but I still prewash yardage.. unless it is going to be used with precuts.

toverly

It all depends on if you are a prewasher. I'm not. I like the crispness of the new finish. Then I use Color catchers when I wash the finished quilt. If you are a prewasher, I would be prepared to iron and starch the fabric before I cut it into strips. I think strips are less forgiving of soft fabric that has been washed.

Jan in VA

I'd leave it. These are pretty small squares and will work better with the precuts.

pocoellie

The only fabrics I prewash are batiks, I also starch any fabrics I'm going to be working with.

TeresaA

I always prewash if I can and thus buy few precuts. I don't like breathing in fabric dust with dye in it, so the more of it I can remove, the better. I wash twice with detergent and then dry. I have a few older fabrics that are outgassing anyway but I think I used to only wash once.!

Bree123

I pretty much pre-wash everything due to contact allergy to sizing (my hands swell up) & the smell also will sometimes bother me if I have a bad migraine (the rest of the time, I don't think new fabric has a smell). Everything I buy, other than stamped wholecloth goes in the wash as soon as I get home. I was in cold water, Handwash or Gentle cycle & then will dry most of the way on Low heat & lay out or iron to dry the rest of the way. When I'm ready to use the fabric, I will iron & heavily starch it.

I do this for everything from 2.5" mini charms to 3 yard cuts. With good fabric, I find there is no discernible shrinkage & the only fabrics I worry about bleeding are batiks & non-commercially dyed fabrics. If you don't have allergies & don't anticipate the recipients will "abuse" the finished quilt in the laundry (i.e., wash it in hot water and/or tumble dry on medium or high heat), there really isn't a need to pre-wash LQS fabrics except for some batiks. It's a personal decision & you'll find as many people who do it the one way as the other.

ManiacQuilter2

I don't prewash but found that especially with batiks, you need to give the fabric a good pressing with a little starch before cutting.into strips

Watson

I pre-wash and dry to minimize the shrinkage in the finished project.
If you like that look, don't pre-wash.
I also iron and starch before I cut the pre-washed material.

If I was doing a wall hanging where it would not be washed, I wouldn't pre-wash.

Watson

NJ Quilter

I wash yardage but not pre-cuts. For that matter, I rarely use pre-cuts. IF I am mixing the two, I do not wash my yardage. I also leave my yardage in the quantity purchased until I am using it for whatever project. I'm just not creative enough to have a heap of x size pieces of fabric and then determine a pattern in which to use them.