PaperPrincess

I'm a washer. I wash precuts in the sink, then spin in the salad spinner (although I must say I don't buy many pre cuts).
For me, pre washing is a genetic characteristic. My mom pre washed everything, so I do too. I have found that everything seems to shrink selvedge to selvedge. Moda, Hoffman, Kaufman, etc. everything except batiks (and they bleed). It's my understanding that the fibers don't really shrink, but they were stretched during the printing process and the washing relaxes them back to their original length.
As far as the non washers not having problems, I think it's two reasons: Cotton batting and/or quilting stitch stabilization. If you use cotton batting and don't pre wash the batting, it shrinks giving you that crinkled look, so any additional fabric shrinkage absorbed. Also, the closer together your quilting pattern, the more the fabric is stablized, again minimizing shrinkage.
So do I really, really need to pre wash, probably not. Will I continue? Yes. I can hear my mom's voice. I will also button my coat, and not race my sewing machine.

YES!!! you need to buy an accucut!!!

Bataplai

I prewash my fabrics for the most part. It's not as much because of shrinkage, it's more because I like the feel and behavior of fabric that has been pre-washed then starched. There are a few exceptions:

• I had not been pre-washing cut fabric, anything smaller than a fat quarter, because of the unraveling. But, I just recently read about washing cut fabric pieces in a lingerie bag... so I bought one, just haven't tried it yet.
• If I am working with some pre-cut pieces that haven't been washed than I don't wash any yardage I'm putting with it.
• If I am working with a panel, I don't pre-wash anything - that messes up the panels. Learned that the hard way!
• I always pre-wash my flannel (and now starch it too, makes a big difference).

Hope this helps!

Prism99

Most people misunderstand shrinkage. Once a fabric is quilted into a quilt, it becomes one with the batting and the batting controls the shrinkage. Certainly fabrics shrink in different ways when washed by themselves. However, once bound by a reasonable amount of quilting into a quilt, none will shrink more than the batting allows. This is why people who don't prewash fabrics and/or don't prewash pre-cuts and/or mix prewashed with washed fabrics don't have hugely distorted quilts when they are done.

The above does *not* apply if you tie a quilt, or if the quilting is 12" apart.

coffeebreak

But if fabric shrinks once washed...your pre cut pieces would shrink and that would make the finished quilt wonky, wouldn't it? I have pre washed Joann's FQ's...and I didnt' measure before or after and they just wrinkled and I ironed it out,but still...if it shrinks when washed...regardless of the revelling..I'd rather it shrink before I put the work in to the quilt or if I give the quilt away..they wash it and is shrinks....what about that?

coffeebreak

That's my other issue...if it shrinks and all 100% cotton does to some extent...and you don't pre wash...once the quit is done and washed for the first time...isn't that cotton going to shrink, thus ruining the quilt? I pre wash all...I bought Joann's FQ's and washed them. They didn't unravel hardly at all, just wrinkled and I ironed them nicely. I just recently won a whole complete line of Moda fat quarters. I have never bought this quality of fabric, just yardage and FQ's at Joann's. So before I use them I was wanting to know about them. Do the more quality brands shrink as much, not as much, as the cheaper ones?

coffeebreak

I figured that was why they were "invented". And it is a nice option to just buy and a few cuts and sew, but still..if 100% cotton shrinks, it will shrink once the quilt is made and make the quilt wonky or puckered, wouldn't it?

I never buy them, well hardly ever. I watch the sales/coupons at Joann's and buy them then. I make lap quilts for people at my church and one fat quarter makes the halt the points for 5 Northern Star blocks, the other half being a matching solid. I bought, washed and they shrunk and wrinkled, but I ironed and cut and had a tad of scrap left over.

The reason I ask is I just won a contest and it was a complete full line of a Moda fabric line of the fat quarterscalled "sew Stitchy" and complete line of Moda cakelayers "Simply Color". These are quality brand fabrics..and I have used Kona solids from Joann's but that is the extent of my "quality". So I don't know if I should or shouldn't. Usually I do just buy the yardage and cut my own..really not that big a deal or time spent!

coffeebreak

Batting shrinks? Should that be pre washed if it is 100% cotton? I haven't found that yet, I buy the 80/20 cotton poly and didn't think anyway that batting needed pre washed. I haven't and so far, it has't been a problem. But I had heard to that once the FMQ is done, that stablizes things from shrinking too...but what about the bleeding if not prewashed! I have bought those bleed sheets and use them with new fabric..and am surprised at how much color those things collect..that would have gone on other fabrics...so if it does that when pre washed...won't it do that if not pre washed but finished quilt washed?

coffeebreak

I have washed charms in a lingerie bag and that does help alot...no lost pieces in the washer and just keeps them all together. I still have to iron them out but like you said...starch and iron is great. I just got some FQ's at Joann's and washed them just tossed them in with my color clothes and other than wrinkles, no big shrinking issue...starch and iron. I didn't measure to see if there was any shrinkage in inches but it didn't look wonky.

I was asking as I just won a drawing of a full line of MODA fat quarters and another full line of MODA cake layers. The FQ's I am not much worried about.. I'll wash, but the cake layers...much smaller and them being a quality brand, not Joann's brand...would it matter either way? Just stick the cake layers in a lingerie bag like I did the charms?

coffeebreak

I guess that makes sense...but I have to ask...if there is going to be shrinkage...the threads are what shrink...so just cause it is sewn to the batting and the batting doesn't shrink...why does that mean the fabric won't shrnk or if it does...how can it not shrink if the batting doesn't? Either the threads shrink or not, seems to me.
But in addition to shrinkage..what about bleeding of colors? I got zapped by that once...I prewashed and thought I had it...and then once the quilt was done, I washed it and the reds ran and ruined it..it was an Americanflag. So I bought those color sheet things and I use them when I wash fabric, and am amazed at all the color that comes out on it! If it wasn't for that sheet, those colors would be on other fabrics.....

Prism99

Polyester batting does not shrink at all. Cotton batting (including 80/20) and wool usually shrink anywhere from 1-5% depending on how the batting is made. Most shrink about 3%, which gives a nice crinkled effect. Antique quilts have that crinkled look because they were made with cotton or wool batting.

Only some types of cotton batting can be pre-washed to pre-shrink. A traditional batting such as Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton cannot be preshrunk because there is nothing in it to hold it together in the presence of water; that's why it needs to be quilted every 2". A cotton batting such as Warm and Natural that is needlepunched, as can certain types of bonded batting. However, I'm not sure why anyone would want to go to the trouble to pre-shrink a cotton batting. If you want a totally unshrunk look, just use polyester batting which does not shrink at all.

Those of us who do not prewash fabrics tend to test suspicious fabrics before using them. I drop a small piece into a glass of water and watch to see if dye bleeds into the water, then rub the damp fabric against white fabric to see if any dye transfers that way. All I am trying to do is eliminate really bad bleeders. My first wash of a quilt is always in *lots* of hot water with Synthrapol, which suspends unset dye particles so they can be rinsed away instead of settling into other fabrics. Even when fabrics bleed, a lot depends on whether or not another fabric will pick up the bleed; not all do.