Originally Posted by purplefiend
I wash all my fabrics. I've got allergies to perfumes and chemicals that the fabrics reek of when I bring them home.
I also don't have worry that a fabric will bleed or shrink in my finished quilt.
I zig zag the raw edges before washing, so no ragged edges.
Sharon
Like you, I have allergies. Any time I am around someone with perfumes or even some body wash soaps, I cannot breathe. New fabrics bother me too, especially those pretty fleeces. I was told by a fabric store worker that foreign countries are spraying fleeces with formaldehyde to protect the fabric from bugs during its travels and storage. Added to months of packaging in plastic only makes matters worse when fabric is opened. Now, if one has regular fabric which has been sprayed, then when you iron it during piecing, you are getting those formaldehyde fumes right into your body. I definitely wash everything.