Originally Posted by
Onebyone
I never wash pre cuts. Fabric only shrinks in one direction. A jelly roll will shrink lengthwise not width wise. There is really no way to tell which grain way squares are cut so it's a guess which side they shrink. The easiest way to pre shrink fabric is to steam iron it or use starch to press it before cutting. No need to go through the wash cycle unless checking for bleeding. If anyone remembers the older issues of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine there were articles full of useful info about fabric, thread, manufacturers, and quality goods. I learned a lot from that magazine.
I had a Michael Miller solid black shrink over 2 inches crosswise. From three different bolts. I think the original width was only 42 inches.
I have actually measured before and after washing.
Most fabrics actually shrink a bit in both directions, but usually more in one direction than the other.
I had bought some Kaufman strips that were cut on the crossgrain. they were 2.5 inches to start. they were 2.385 inches after washing.
I started measuring after I was going to sell some cat print fabrics - when I measured them they were only about 35 inches or less long. I know that the pieces were at least 36 inches long when I purchased them.
As I've repeatedly stated - I have actually measured thousands of pieces of fabric before and after washing them. If that number seems high - consider that I have been accumulating fabric for over 40 years,
Washing fabric before cutting it is useful to me. What others do, is up to them.
Some people have said that quilting will minimize the shrinkage. Don't see how that would do it, if the batting also shrinks.