Originally Posted by
TanyaL
My SIL who is a Hazardous Waste Fire Chief tells me that if someone ever succeeded in getting a totally air tight house so that they could save on their HVAC cost, it would kill them because of the fumes from the chemicals in their carpets, drapes, walls and building materials. The drafts in our houses save our lives. Hard to get excited over our quilting fabrics when we have lethal carpets, etc. around.
Guess this is why I have a problem with motel/hotel rooms if I stay in them more than one night, my nasal passages get dry and irritated. One time I left the room around 3 am and sat outside the motel until 7am so I could awake my roommate so we could check out. Just back from a 5 day stay in Las Vegas, being outdoors helped a lot but there is no moisture in the air in that desert. Windows wouldn't open a crack but had to stay as it was our granddaughter's wedding but oh so glad to be back in moist New Jersey. We often visit grandkids in Mass. and the motel we stay at has windows that open a few inches and I open them as soon as we get there. Letting some outside fresh air in helps.
Sorry I got off tract here but I do wash before cutting to get rid of dyes, chemicals and if fabric is going to shrink it's better to take care of it before making the quilt. I'm a coordinator for my Guild's Project Pillowcases that distributes pillowcases to kids in local hospitals. After each pillowcase is made we wash and dry them before placing them into baggies that we seal, we don't want to cause the kids can further medical problems. May in Jersey