Originally Posted by
PumpkinSundae
Hi...actually, I didn't wash the fabrics but I made the tablerunners with a jelly roll and one with a charm pack. Should I wash the top first before I put it together? Thanks everyone!
You really never want to wash a top that is already put together. It is risky because seams can fray and fabrics can shrink at different rates, creating a distorted mess that cannot be ironed perfectly flat again. As long as you use a moderate amount of quilting, the batting takes control of shrinkage when a quilted piece is washed. To keep your tablerunners flat, choose a batting that won't shrink or else totally pre-shrink the batting before layering and quilting. Plus, do a moderate amount of quilting. Minimal quilting may leave fabric pieces that are big enough to shrink independently of each other and the batting.