pre-wash? Pooey!
06-17-2013, 04:43 AM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 311
. For quilts I do with batiks, particularly pre-cuts, I baste an inexpensive muslin all around the edges of the completed top, covering all the seam allowances (to catch loose threads), then throw it in the washer with color catchers and that has worked well for me. It doesn't take long to baste the muslin on or to remove the basting. The muslin not only catches the loose threads, but gives me some idea of how much bleeding there is.
06-17-2013, 04:53 AM
#42
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Corpus Christi, Tx.
Posts: 16,105
I pre wash everything in warm water. If the material is very dark then I use hot water. I always buy extra material to allow for any shrinkage. Any left overs go to the scrap bin. Bought some material at an estate sale this weekend and pre washed it. Threw in color catchers and a white towel also and was shocked at the amount of bleed.
06-17-2013, 05:21 AM
#43
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,761
I always pre-wash. I HAVE to get the chemicals out of the fabric before I can use it. What I have trouble understanding is this, why is it so hard to throw the fabric in the washer. It's just like a load of towels or clothes. I throw the fabric in the washer,put some detergent in and walk away and do something else until the machine is done. Then I throw the fabric in the dryer,and again walk away and do something else. It really is not that hard of a job to pre-wash the fabric. When you take the fabric out of the dryer, it's clean and soft and ready to use.
cutting with pinking shears and ironing 4-5 yards of fabric.
06-17-2013, 07:31 AM
#46
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Douglas County, GA
Posts: 1,722
I don't mean to be obtuse, but I don't understand the hot water washing. Aside from 'bleeding' out fabric, surely no one washes a finished quilt in hot water??? Tepid is about as warm as my quilt washing water gets and usually I use cold water and always on gentle cycle.
06-17-2013, 07:56 AM
#49
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 25,197
For some of us - the extra step of overcasting raw edges before putting the fabric in the wash is worthwhile - there is no tangle of unraveled threads to cope with - and the fabric 'loss' due to fraying is zero when I overcast with my serger - I can remove the threads fairly easily - and the 'loss' when I use a narrow zig-zag stitch with my regular sewing machine might be 1/8 inch on each end.
I've been hearing that the price of some fabrics is as high as $15.00 per yard at some stores? - it seems worth while to conserve as much of that fabric as possible - I have seen fraying loss of over an inch on each end. (From LQS fabrics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
The reason for the hot water wash and high heat drying - it maximizes the shrinking. I only subject my fabrics to the hot water SOAK once - I believe the agitation is what makes fabrics look 'worn' - and I do dry my fabrics on moderate heat - that minimizes the setting in of wrinkles. I leave room in the dryer for the fabric to fluff up - and not be mashed/wadded up in an overloaded dryer.
I've also found that many fabrics are smooth enough to fold and store until ready to cut. When ready to cut, that seems like a logical time to press/iron the fabric and/or apply starch/sizing if you are one that starches.
It seems like this topic has been discussed a zillion times - those of us that think washing the fabrics before cutting them is worth the effort will probably continue to do so -
Those that think it's unnecessary will probably continue to think it's not worth the effort.
Whatever.
I've been hearing that the price of some fabrics is as high as $15.00 per yard at some stores? - it seems worth while to conserve as much of that fabric as possible - I have seen fraying loss of over an inch on each end. (From LQS fabrics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
The reason for the hot water wash and high heat drying - it maximizes the shrinking. I only subject my fabrics to the hot water SOAK once - I believe the agitation is what makes fabrics look 'worn' - and I do dry my fabrics on moderate heat - that minimizes the setting in of wrinkles. I leave room in the dryer for the fabric to fluff up - and not be mashed/wadded up in an overloaded dryer.
I've also found that many fabrics are smooth enough to fold and store until ready to cut. When ready to cut, that seems like a logical time to press/iron the fabric and/or apply starch/sizing if you are one that starches.
It seems like this topic has been discussed a zillion times - those of us that think washing the fabrics before cutting them is worth the effort will probably continue to do so -
Those that think it's unnecessary will probably continue to think it's not worth the effort.
Whatever.
06-17-2013, 08:06 AM
#50
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Round Rock,Texas
Posts: 6,135
I always pre-wash my fabrics due to allergies. Who knows what the fabric has been into before I bought it?
Also I don't like finding out later that any of the fabrics bled onto lighter areas of my quilts.
Sharon
Also I don't like finding out later that any of the fabrics bled onto lighter areas of my quilts.
Sharon
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