Originally Posted by Macybaby

Anngel Anne, I don't worry about that. I wash on gentle so it's not beat to snot, then take them out and pull off any really long thread globs. I've found when the thread is wet, I can break them without a mess, so I stopped using scissors. Sometimes I'll have quite a handful after washing if the fabric was cut off grain, and sometimes I'll have very little. I don't wash precut strips, but do wash layer cakes and charms.

As I am taking the fabric out of the dryer, I take out one piece at a time and make sure it is fully open and not twisted before tossing in the dryer. I have a pretty large washer without a center agitator (works better than when I had the old one with the agitator) and can wash 10-14 yards of fabric at one time (this is most oftem 3-4 peices, though I do color sort). I think the largest I did was 10 yards of extra wide backing as one piece. That was a lot to untwist out of the washer, and I did have to unroll it a couple of times during the drying cycle. I have DH help me fold the big stuff up - glad I have enough room in the house to do that.

I buy mostly for my stash so loosing a bit isn't a problem. I loose very little to fraying, I "loose" way more to shrinkage. I prefer to wash out excess die and other processing chemicals before I handle the fabric. I don't use starch as I prefer to work with soft fabric. I sewed lingerie for several years so bias or stretch is not an issue for me.

I dry until just dry. Some driers don't have an actual low heat setting. My old dryer had hot/cook/incinerate even though it was labeled Cool/Medium/Hot. I toss a nice big cotton towel (dry) in with the fabric as it seems to dry with less wrinkles that way. I take it out immediately and fold it. That helps to smooth out wrinkles. Unless I have something really bad, I don't iron until I am going to use the fabric. With lower heat, short dry times and the towel, I rarely have wrinkle problems.

BTW - I rough fold out of the washer, but I do make sure I get the center fold correct and the fabric laying smooth. Then as I have time I unfold it (not the center fold) and ruler fold it to put in my stash. When I am ruler folding, I'll trim off any longer threads that are still hanging off the edge.

Originally Posted by Chasezzz

Thanks everyone for the kind words about my quilt. Carol, yours looks lovely and I too like the wider border.

Audsgirl, I used a favorite method to get the double sided skinny border. After I sashed the blocks together and did the same width as the sashing around the top, I layered the quilt and quilted it. Then I "grew" it by adding the skinny border (red on the front and pink on the back), inserting the batting for this border and then doing a single stitch line through that sandwich to secure the batting within the border. I did opposite sides and then the other two sides. After that I repeated the process with the wider border of the feature fabric front and back. This is a quilt-as-you-go technique I learned online somewhere. Before the additional borders, the quilt was less than 42" wide so this method allowed me to back it with a piece of my feature fabric that was not pieced. Additionally, quilting was easier on my DSM than it would have been if I waited to sandwich and quilt until the top was completely pieced. This method also allows wonderfully precise pieced back and front borders.

Originally Posted by dotcomdtcm

This top needs a border & then I'll donate it to the charity group at my guild. I know it will be appreciated.
Thanks so much Judy and to all who are sharing this "ride" .

Originally Posted by Dsenters

it’s flimsy time!
I think I need to add a 4” border / crust to my 20th mystery quilt train ride - Berry Cobbler Quilt.
It will give it another several inches width and height. If the 13 year old doesn’t approve of it, my husband has a cousin who has had cancer return after loosing the ability to walk without falling (the leg issue has been a mystery for about 3 years, or they just don’t want it discussed) she is in a wheelchair and I think this size quilt would work well if she doesn’t mind the free scrappy gift.
Thank you Judy for my first train ride! [ATTACH=CONFIG]602965[/ATTACH]