Snorky Lvs2Quilt

Certain colors I prewash and reds are one of them. If there are reds in a quilt I am making I prewash all fabrics I will be using in the quilt, and then they are washed separately with a color catcher. Otherwise I don't prewash.

jamannix

www.softexpressions.com also carries it or just Google Retayne and see what comes up and who has the
cheapest prices. I urge you to go the Retayne route. You spent money for the kit and will be spending time
creating it; it would be devastating if any of the materials ran. I presoak all my fabric in Retayne and am
often surprised by what fabrics bleed color into the water. The Retayne is cheap insurance.
Good luck - Judy Mannix

Pat G

I made a beaut. Christmas runner in the same colors you used. I finally decided to wash it after using it 2 yrs. Big mistake not to prewash. The red bled into the white & now all white is pink. I didn't know about the color catchers yet.
Then I did prewash many 1/4 yd. pieces of fabrics for a Bargello. I even put them in a mesh bag. Another BIG mistake. They twisted into such a massive knot & shreds I had to throw them all away. Couldn't begin to untangle the mess. I had to go buy all new fabrics that did NOT get prewashed. Now I'd be afraid to ever wash the finished quilt without getting the products you've all talked about. This quilt was far too much work to risk it. It may never get washed. LOL

Pat

grandme26

I do not wash my fabric first and have had no problems. I do use a color catcher when the item is completed and then wash.

nise

I don't prewash either, but if I'm unsure I cut a 2 inch square and put it in a glass of water, if nothing happen, I will make my project.

Quiltlady330

I don't buy many kits but have a friend who does. She often remarks that they don't put enough fabric in for the pattern. She is an experienced quilter who knows how to follow instructions and cuts according to directions. I pre-wash but would be afraid to if it was a kit.

quiltapillow

I made a quilt and did not prewash and when I did--my greens ran and so did the red. So, now I prewash allmy fabric and iron it. I would rather take the time to prewash than spend my time making a quilt or anything else and have it ruined by bleeding fabric. Mostly I have found that Batiks run, along with dark greens and reds.

JoanneS

Test the fabrics to see if they need pre-washing. Wet a corner, put it between 2 pieces of paper towels, put weight on a plate on top of it ( books) for about half an hour. If color doesn't transfer to the towels, no need to prewash. If color does transfer, you need to prewash AND should probably use color grabbers - re-wash until no color shows on the color grabbers. Food for thought - a wallhanging won't be washed very often - if ever, so little or no worries about color transfer. A table topper MAY be washed, so think about color placement. Is the color that shows on the towel going to be next to a lighter color? If it isn't, a color grabber in the wash load should be enough, and you don't have to pre-wash.

GingerK

Here's another thing: Go thru the list of how much of each fabric is included. If there is a generous amount, say 2-3 inches more than you SHOULD need, don't worry about shrinkage from prewashing. If the amounts seem to be very scant, check to see if the cutting instructions are making the best use of the fabric.

Prewash--ALWAYS in my house!