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?

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 am a washer with my fabrics however I don't wash my charm packs or jelly rolls (these are the only pre cuts that I use). That being said if they were batiks I probably would being as careful as possible not to make the fabric fray.

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.

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.

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.

I never wash any of my fabrics before using them in a quilt, but have never done a quilt that has high contrast...red/white...either. In my life, the need for washing would just add another stumbling block to getting started on a project! I normally use good yardage from our LQS which sells high quality fabric. I always wash my quilts when they are finished and ready to gift, and always use color catchers. No problems!