Prism99

beksclen, So sorry about that bad advice you got!

These days shrinkage is not an issue as long as the quilt is quilted moderately (I would guess no more than 3" or so between lines). Colorfastness is a *much* bigger issue. Most fabrics are colorfast, but there are always a few that are not. At the very least, you should have been advised to test the backing fabric. That would have given you the option of choosing a different fabric for the backing.

In my experience, mixing washed and unwashed fabric makes no difference at all in terms of shrinkage because, once quilted, the batting controls shrinkage. Batting is stronger than fabric so, after quilting, fabric is not strong enough to shrink more than the batting shrinks. It is the potential color bleeds that are the problem.

debbiemarie

I always soak it in hot water to see if it's going to bleed first, then use retayne. It would be heart breaking to work so hard on a quilt and have the different colors bleed everywhere. I tend to use a lot of red, oranges and blues which normally bleed.

Carol34446

Hi Lori, Welcome to the board. I have sewn for 50+ years and am very good a figuring things out from reading directions. I too am working on my first quilt, and not using a pattern, and QAYG (Quilt As You Go). Take a deep breath and realize that there are more than one way to to almost anything, so do what works best for you.
And of course, come back, read, you can learn so much here as I have and remember no question is a stupid question if you need an answer. Look for classes in your area, that might help your confidence and DH sounds like a keeper. Take big breaths, relax and enjoy what your doing and it will be better every day.

MargeD

I prewash my fabric and have pretty much since I began quilting. If I'm on the ball, I will pull the fabric out of the dryer while still somewhat damp, then iron right away, which makes it easier. If I'm not, then I will spritz the fabric, bunch it together so the entire piece gets damp then iron with steam. If I've been given fabric that I'm not sure about, I will prewash just in case. I remember washing fabric with a black background - it came out fine - however, another piece that was much lighter in color and it kept running, so you just never know. It's your own personal preference and you alone should decide which is right for you.

delma_paulk

I do not prewash. I am an old woman and probably have a limited time on this earth, so I use my time and talents on making the quilts and leave the washing up to whomever I give it. I just don't have time to do this.

delma

gramma nancy

I prewash -- I do not buy precuts so I have no comment on that -- but I recently got a lesson that convinced me I was right to always prewash. I bought a significant acreage of extra-wide fabric to back a quilt. It was from Fabric Depot where I have gotten only the most wonderful fabric.

I washed the extra wide fabric, which is a dark blue print, with a color catcher. It (the color catcher) came out so dark that I decided to rewash the fabric. As of now, I have washed it 9 times and the color catchers are still showing a lot of color. I am horrified, even more so when I think what would have happened if I had used the fabric without washing it, then washed the quilt. It would have been a disaster.

Put me firmly in the "always prewash" column.

Prism99

gramma nancy, If you have washed the fabric 9 times and the color catchers are still showing color, this means that the dye was never set properly in the factory. The fabric will continue to bleed indefinitely. You can treat the fabric with Retayne (a home product that permanently sets dye) but, if the fabric still bleeds after two Retayne treatments, then it's probably not suitable for use in a quilt. Also, the Retayne cure is lost if the fabric is washed in hot water later on.

Some fabrics that bleed are simply over-saturated with dye. In that case the manufacturer simply did not rinse sufficiently. Fibers can absorb only a finite amount of dye; over-saturated fabrics mean that there is extra dye still in the fabric. This type of fabric will bleed much less after a first washing, and very little (if any) after a second washing.

bearisgray

Which is why I will only use fabrics that either never colored the rinse water or have stopped coloring the rinse water. I want to not worry when the finished item gets washed.

Neesie

That sounds like the dark blue/turquoise print I bought, from Hobby Lobby (only it wasn't extra wide). I finally took it back to the store and my money was refunded. Hobby Lobby fabric is usually very, very good about not bleeding but that particular piece just wouldn't stop. I wonder if it might have been produced by the same manufacturer as yours!

Annaquilts

I no longer prewash because I decided I like the crinkly look and feel of washing and drying in the dryer the quilt after I make it. I do add a sheet of Shout color catcher to catch any bleeding of fabrics when I was the finished quilt. I no longer steam with my iron but I do use a iron on a hot setting and spray starch out of the can when I press the fabric before cutting. I hope this takes care of the majority of shrinkage before I cut and sew pieces together.