vivientan

I just bought some flannel & minky fabrics to make baby blankets. As I've never worked with these fabrics before, is there a need to pre wash & how?

Any special instructions on washing these blankies after they are completed? Thanks!

dunster

Flannel really needs pre-washing. It's notorious for bleeding, shrinking, and pilling. I wash it in hot water and dry with heat. It may take more than one wash if it bleeds. If it pills, it doesn't get used except inside a rag quilt..

dd

I usually wash & dry flannel a couple times before I use it. Minky really sheds when its cut but after you have made the quilt there is nothing special they need to do. Guess a really hot dryer would melt the minky.

vivientan

Is there a need to pre wash minky and does it bleed & shrink as badly as flannels? For flannels, is it advisable to hand or machine wash? What's the desired temperature? I don't have a dryer at home. Can I line dry after washing?

Sneed

I never wash the minkee before sewing...it will only mess up your washer and dryer. It washes beautifully after the quilt is together. I'm actually working on two right now for a couple of grand nieces...twins.

Elisabrat

I believe minky is poly or another fabric than cotton correct? it wouldn't shrink then and its tough enough to sew with I sure as heck would not prewash it. Flannel you have to because it is shrinking so much that if your using it with a non shrinkable fabric there would be trouble when washed.

Elisabrat

some one posted they had only a line to dry on.. then suggest to the person you gift it to that it is only hand washed and dried or its dry cleaned only. the dry cleaning cures the shrinkage problem generally.

tessagin

I wash my flannel twice in hot water and if you happen to have a hot water rinse or just put back in for a no soap 3rd wash. That will help to shrink if you don't have a dryer. Or ask a friend if they have hot dryer. Have not used the minky yet.

vivientan

When we said to wash the flannel in hot water, is anything between 60 & 95 degrees on my machine fine?

The other question I have is, should I use a fabric softener when washing flannels? I was told to avoid that when pre washing cotton.

dunster

I don't use fabric softener, and I just set my machine for hot, no idea how hot it really gets. I assume you're using Celsius temperature measurements, so 60 degrees would be 140 Fahrenheit. (That is plenty hot.) We usually set our water heaters to 120-140 Fahrenheit.