Originally Posted by LLWinston44

No, I'm not a pre-washer. When I took my first class at my LQS they advised us NOT to, and so I have gotten in the habit of not, and up until now it's never been a problem.
I did once, before that first class, wash all my fabric (in preparation FOR the class)and it was a disaster!!! It all frayed HORRIBLY and also I had SO much waste when squaring it up to get ready to cut! So since then, since I've had good results from not pre-washing, I've stuck with that.

I did just go and spray a piece of the fabric with water and it did shrink. I'll just have to start making sure I starch before I cut.


I have taken classes from several top quilters who have been on TV and at national retreats, including Alex Anderson and she said NOT to pre wash and also she did NOT starch. One teacher said she always uses a steam iron to iron the fabrics before cutting so they will shrink if they need to. The steam shrinks them slightly but they remain straight. When the blocks are catty wumpus or wonky it's me, not the fabric! I'm usually getting tired and it's time to quit for the day.


Oh, and it's most definitely 100% cotton. The shrinking actually happened right in front of my eyes AS I sprayed it, but from what I read above, the heat must have shrunk it more. ugh.