Thread: washing fabric

Depends if you are sensitive to the chemicals or not. There's no harm to the fabric in letting it sit around until you are ready to use it.

QuiltingCandy couldn't have sit it any better!
When I want to use that fabric, I want to USE it and not lose any time or momentum!
Washed in hot water. Dried in hot dryer. No ironing*. Folded to fit in my stash.
All before it even sees my sewing room and is introduced to its new friends!


*No Ironing* ... likewise, lazy! Why do it twice? It will get done when I go to use it, and if I only need a small piece, chances are I will only iron that small piece before cutting and returning it to its home!


As for letting it sit unwashed .... that's the way it sits in the shops. So why would that be any difference in your home?
Likewise, washing it and leaving it for months ... there's been many a quilt made from years old stash fabric, with no detriments to the end result!
What you have not mentioned is sewing with it unwashed, present or long into the future.

There are pros and cons to all approaches. It's a discussion that has been had numerous times here on the QB, so you might want to refer to the previous threads to gather your rationale.

In the end ... do what works for you!!!!!!!!!!!

Since I walk right past my washing machine when I enter the house I toss whatever fabrics I want prewashed right in & get it done. If I buy fabric from a yard sale, or thrift store, anywhere where the fabric was previously in someone else's home it automatically gets laundered before going any further, new fabrics it just depends on the fabric

Most of my fabtics are fairly smooth after washing - whether dried in a dryer or line dried.

The only times I have had seriously wrinkled fabric were when the fabrics got tangled or twisted in the dryer -either ery skinny strips or very long lengths. The solution to that is to check every so often and straighten the fabtic out. The other causes are poor quality fabric or " cooking" the fsbric with overly high dryer heat

I would say that I can hand press over 95% of the fabrics to be smooth enough to fold and put away until ready to use. As others have said, no need to iron the fabric twice.

As far as when to wash it - for me, anytime before I cut it.

I wash everything when I get it. Or I make a pile of "new fabric" until I have enough to do a load. I like to have it all ready to use whenever I want to use it.

I am a member of the wash all the fabric when I get home. I used to wait but then there were times when I wasn't sure if I had washed and pressed or not so doing it right away I don't have to worry about confusion, also I have never dried my fabrics in the dryer I put them all in a bag while damp take each out and iron.