Thread: washing fabric

I know this has been brought up before but I need to see the answers again. I wash all my fabric including FQ's. I wished I hadn't started this. Can I use unwashed charms with my washed fabric? Can I stop washing altogether and combined washed and unwashed?

I hand wash and use a salad spinner for small pieces of fabric that I suspect might bleed. I usually do not wash pre-cuts if I will be using the whole size as they can fray. As for combining washed and unwashed, it is completely up to you.

Shrinkage and bleeding are at issue here. For me it is dependent upon the quality and the color of the fabric. Some fabrics have so much dye the fabric is stiff. This is low quality fabric in my opinion. Reds and blues bleed and should minimally be tested whether they come in a pre-cut or not. This is just my own rule of thumb. Good luck.

I started out washing fabric as it came into the house, but grew tired of it very quickly. So I just stopped. I mix the unwashed with the washed all the time, and have not had any problem. Nearly all of my fabric is from quilt shops rather than big box or craft stores. I'm so happy that I gave myself permission to stop pre-washing. Laundry isn't on my list of favorite activities!

I started out washing all my fabric as soon as it came in the door. I later realized it was way too time-consuming for me. i stopped cold turkey and never looked back, using pre-washed and non-washed together without paying attention to which was which. I have had zero problems and don't regret the decision. I do toss color catchers in when i wash the finished quilt. If they "catch" a lot, I include a box of color catchers when i give the quilt away.

DebD

I mix them and so far haven't had a problem. I do use color catchers with the end product.

Watch for batiks though. I don't have many of those, however.

That brings up another problem. I went to my local WalMart and they don't know what a color catcher is. They didn't know what freezer paper was either. My husband found me some freezer paper at Zehrs Grocery. I don't know if it is the right stuff. It's by Reynolds and says its plastic coated. I did not check their for color catchers yet. I also don't know if is makes a difference on unwashed fabric when I use my disappearing marking pens.

Originally Posted by SoftBlockLady

That brings up another problem. I went to my local WalMart and they don't know what a color catcher is. They didn't know what freezer paper was either. My husband found me some freezer paper at Zehrs Grocery. I don't know if it is the right stuff. It's by Reynolds and says its plastic coated. I did not check their for color catchers yet. I also don't know if is makes a difference on unwashed fabric when I use my disappearing marking pens.

Look for the color catchers in the laundry detergent and freezer paper where foil and wax paper etc are, and DO NOT depend on the help. I was in local wal mart and asked paint for exacto blades and they had NO CLUE, and yet they were in the craft department. Young people and some older seem clueless about many things today.

I wash everything before I use it. I use a lot of batiks so I want the dye to be stable before I put them in a quilt.