scraphq

Please, don't blame JoAnn's for everything! You may have bought a blend. They seem to shrivel up with hot iron and steam. The colors of the blends are very attractive and tempting, but IMHO not suitable for quilting.

jillaine

This is in part why I pre-wash all my fabric. Doesn't go near the sewing room without having first visited teh laundry room.

Moonpi

Now you know why so many of us do! Even freezer paper will shrink.

Shelbie

If your fabric has any polyester in it, it will shrink when the hot iron touches it. If it was printed on a lower thread count cotton fabric, it may also shrink when the heat touches it. Unfortunately not all fabrics are of the same quality no matter where you buy them or how much you pay. I find feeling them and holding them up to the light helps me decide if it is a quality fabric. If they look or feel "thin" then they probably won't do for your quilt no matter how pretty.

Painiacs

Thanks for all the info ladies!!!

jimsjunque

When I first really started quilting ;I bought a very pretty piece of fabric. It was exactly the right color, weight ect; but a blend. Every block [a Sampler] that I used that fabric in just never was the size it was supposed to be . The patches were carefully cut, sewed , looked wonderful,but shrank thruoghout with the pressing.

kathy

that's what i was going to say, it can be heat shrinking up the "blend"

janeknapp

If you were using steam or spraying with water, I would think that would cause the shrinking. I ALWAYS preshrink everything except in the case where directions say otherwise like in the case below.

BTW, did you know that fabric after washing can shrink more in one direction than the other? I had this happen with a Kona cotton solid black. I cut 9" squares for a 7" square finished block for appliquing using a special applique fiber that requires prewashing the applique pieces but not the background. When washing the background shrinks and pulls the machine applique stitches towards the underside of the applique, so it looks like hand applique. Then the block is cut down to size; hence the oversized square cut at the start.

The blocks were square after sewing the applique but before washing. After washing the blocks were not square. I would have to check my blocks again, but I think it did the shrinking on the cross grain.

Advance Warning...I did preshrink the fabric in a kit which included a panel. The panel had blocks to cut apart. The dimensions were off on the blocks after washing, and I had a lot of work to adapt the directions for construction.

Yooper32

I too had the same thing happen to a certain piece of fabric that I bought at the same place. I knew I had cut it rught yet after pressing, it was smaller than the other pieces cut the same but of different fabric, so I figured it was shrinking from the steam. Actually I could almost see it shrinking as I pressed it.

glorcour

The shrinkage could be because the fabric is poly/cotton. Are you sure it is 100% cotton? Happened to me once. Discarded and started again with new stuff.