DollyQuilt

If you have a serger or know of someone who does, serge the raw ends, then wash. I have done this for years, and never have had any thread tangles. Good Luck!

cathyvv

I know how miserable you are. My hands don't burn, but unwashed fabric 'excites' my eye and sinus allergies to the 'miserable' setting on the allergy meter!

I've just gone through the arduous task of 'sanitizing' with a stash I purchased on Craigslist. It was from the home of a smoker, and, while the odor was not terrible, cigarette odor can move the allergy meter to the 'OH MY GOD what have I done to deserve this level".

What I found works well:

1) no more than 10 - 12 yards in a load. For me, that was about 4 - 6 pieces. It's hard to resist adding more, but 10 - 12 yards in the washer gave me the best results.

2) Gentle cycle

3) cold water wash, using laundry detergent (I always use an unscented one)

4) Open the fabric to it's full WOF - never leave the fabric folded.
Washing and drying fabric folded in wof will SET the fold permanently. (I know because I've made that
mistake.)

5) I found the best average length of a single fabric to wash was 2.5 yard.
You can go up to 3, but after that the fabrics twist around each other very tightly in the washer and ravels more as a result. Put some shorter lengths in with the longer lengths so that the washer doesn't get unbalanced during the spin.

There was some very long yardage in the stash I bought, so in some cases it was cut into 3 or 4 pieces.

6) use color catchers, sometimes 2, depending on the colors in the load you are washing. Of course, wash similar colors together.

7) Remove each piece of fabric from the washer individually. Keep a scissor handy to cut off the ravels as you remove the fabric from the washer. Keep in mind that no matter what you do, there will be some tangling and raveling of threads.

8) Shake each piece of fabric out to it's full length and width, then put it in the dryer. You don't want the fabrics to 'ball up' in the dryer, because then the outside fabric is dry, but the center of the ball of fabric is not. It is also unbelievably wrinkled. Ugh!

9) Take each piece of fabric out of the dryer individually, measure it's length, fold as flat as possible.

- Have some selvage or thin strips of fabric ready to 'tie' the fabric immediately after folding.

- Use two address labels, back to back, one address label on each side of the 'tie"; write down the length of the fabric on one side of the address label. Then you will know how long it is when you are auditioning fabric for a quilt. You won't have to open it to measure it because you already know the length.

10) Store fabric. Iron when you are ready to use it.

Good luck.

cathyvv

Jeanne, I have the exact opposite problem. The strings and tangles occur in the washer. If not cut off as they come out of the washer, they're still there after drying. Darn pesky things!

MargeD

I have had pretty good luck by snipping off a corner of the fabric at an angle, so I don't get many unwanted threads. I tried to wash my fabric when it came into the house, and that helped, as well as taking the fabric out of the dryer when it was half done and then immediately (or so) ironing the fabric. I have found that the half dried fabric irons fairly quickly, then it's folded and ready to be cut.

CAS49OR

Since you don't want to handle the fabric much you can try the pinking rotary blade. I've used it and it seems to help. It doesn't seem very sharp though so you can't cut very many layers at once. Maybe you can wear gloves for this part of it.

I also put smaller pieces in a mesh bag.

dee1245

I have the same problem this winter with my thumbs. I have had this problem previously but not to this degree. The split keeps getting deeper and has peeled to the extreme all across the end of my thumb. I didn't think about the chemicals in the fabrics. I have spent a lot of time with my stash since the holidays. Always learning something new here on the Quilting Board.

As for washing your stash, I would suggest pinking the raw edges as it does cut down on fraying. It doesn't completely eliminate it but does help. I bought a pinking blade for my rotary cutter; what a time saver over scissors.

ube quilting

I put FQs and other small pieces of fabric in a zippered net bag and throw it in with other wash. I also use pinking shears on the raw edges of all my fabric before I wash it. Haven't had a problem with string tangles since I started doing this. I also wash my fabric when it comes in the house and I know everything in my stash is cleaned.
peace

bearisgray

Red is not the only color that can be a problem.

grammyp

I wash all my fabric for the same reason. If you clip a small piece off the corners it will not fray much. I have left some fabrics folded in half, but find I get a permanent crease on the fold. Since I like to cut WOF strips, I unfold my fabrics before washing.

penski

when i started Quilting i made it a rule that no fabric goes into my sewing room unless it has been washed , this way i also know before starting a project the the material has been washed if it is in my quilting room , because I like a few others have terrible sinus problems when around a lot of material ,but since i have only washed material in my room my sinus problems have decreased big time after speding hours in my sewing room !, also the gloves that you said they were wearing while showing the quilts could of been the samr type of gloves people have to wear at quilt shows when viewing or judging Quilts , i know one time i worked at a quilt show and while working with the quilts and setting them up for display we all had to wear these thin gloves to protect them from the oil in our hand and to keep the quilts clean