MFord

Hi! I've joined the pre-wash crowd - wondering if the reason my allergies and asthma have been so bad the last few years is because of all the unwashed fabric I've collected...plus several vintage sewing machines...

So, I'm madly washing my stash! I expect it will take a few weeks to get it all done, and some of it may need to be ironed Anyway, I have several questions for the more experienced quilters:

1. I bought a number (78, actually) of 9.5" muslin squares that had been very carefully made many years ago by someone without any fabric to spare. Many of the squares are two pieces sewn together. Also, some are very beige and some fairly white, so I think I'll have to be careful with my lights. I plan to make a couple of small strip quilts for the Linus Project, as they are easy to work on when you just have a little bit of time. The question is: do I pre-wash the muslin squares? I'm afraid they would just shred in the washing machine. I could soak them and let them dry naturally or iron them dry when they're damp - would that shrink them enough so they won't overshrink when the quilt is later washed? I just don't want to go to the effort of serging all those edges! Yes - lazy as charged!

2. Should I use anything special when I pre-wash? I'm putting in Retayne and color catchers with the dark colors - do I need anything else?

I had another question but now I've forgotten it. Lazy and forgetful both! Oh, no, I'd better go do something important now!! Maybe a nap is in order.

Thank you, my friends!

Margaret F

bearisgray

You will get more opinions, but these are mine:

I have found SOME muslins will shrink - a LOT!!!!!!!

I would put all the muslin squares in a pan of very hot water (as hot as it gets from the tap) with just a dab of detergent and just let them set until the water cools down. Swish them around once in a while. You can use a plastic or wooden spoon if you want to keep your hands out of the water. Then I would drain that water, and rinse them a couple of times with plain water. I would drain them and (maybe) roll them in a towel to get rid of some of the soggy wetness. Then I would just lay them on towels and let them dry. Some people use a salad spinner to get some of the moisture out of the fabric.

I would expect that there will be some shrinkage and wonkiness. I would then just trim the squares to the same size after they have been washed and dried.

I know- more bother than some would think it is worth. Uneven puckering/shrinkage/wonkiness drives me even battier. Pick your battles!

I soak all my dark colors (also in hot water) - like colors together, so in case there is a problem fabric, it won't be a disaster if it bleeds.

If there is a bleeder, I isolate it and rinse it some more. If it won't quit bleeding, I trash it. No need to give anyone else a headache!.

Others will swear using Retayne is the be-all and end-all for treating dark colored fabrics. I swear at the manufacturers that don't make color-fast products!

I think it is important to keep the agitation of fabrics to a minimum, because that is what I think makes them look "used".

joe'smom

For pieces smaller than a fat quarter (which I don't often deal with), I soak in warm water for awhile with a bit of Woolite, rinse, spin in a nylon mesh bag in the washer and hang to dry. Squares will shrink unevenly and no longer be square, so you will have to trim to another size. I will use a color catcher if I'm washing mixed colors together, or a multi-color print with a strong red. I did try the retayne once, with a red batik, but I don't worry about colorfastness in general (which maybe I should).

MFord

I bought some Woolite - will begin the procedure!
Margaret

Daylesewblessed

I don't see the purpose in putting a Color Catcher in with the 20 minute Retayne treatment. Are you mixing colors when you Retayne? Retayne sets the dyes, and I see some discolor in the water, but I only Retayne like colors together. After the treatment, which includes a rinse, you can check to see if the water runs clear.

I do like Retayne, but I always check after the process to make sure there is no more bleeding.

KalamaQuilts

I wouldn't prewash anything already pieced. I speak from sad experience, the seams ravel like mad.

I've been quilting since 1971, and because i always wash new clothes before wearing them, I just also prewashed my fabric. I run a sink of hot water, smoosh them around, wring, shake and pitch in the dryer; fraying is next to nill
. No unwashed fabric enters my quilt room, and then I don't have to wonder, did I or didn't I.

I have trouble breathing freely in a fabric store, I don't want all that treatment stuff in my quilt room.
Many folks here are absolutely on the non-washing side of the fence, opinions are free . No rules...

joe'smom

I agree, there would be no point in using a color catcher with a Retayne treatment. I have only tried the Retayne once, with a red batik that I was worried about. I use the color catcher in the washer if I'm washing different colored fabrics together. Usually the color catcher comes out looking clear. I suppose I should soak all dark fabrics in the hot water to check for bleeding, but thus far I've been too lazy/impatient to do that.

MFord

Thanks for letting me know I don't need the color catcher if I use the Retayne - I just didn't know and was overly cautious! Kalamaquilts - these are cut but not yet pieced. I made that mistake last month! Washed a quilt top only and raveled all over the place!

Anyway, I ended up washing them on hot in the machine, in a small lingerie bag. They seem to have stayed together pretty well - minimal fraying - and now I'm drying them, still in the bag, on permanent press. They will probably still be damp when they come out. I think I will starch them and iron them before using.

It's so good to learn new things from my friends!

Margaret

gigigray032447

I learned the very hard way about pre-washing fabrics. In 2008 I was making a blooming nine-patch for my sister. I completed it but it had not returned from the long armer when she passed away. Months later when I could function and think about it, I asked my children if they wanted to draw straws for it. Simultaneously they asked me to give it to Nancy's best friend. About the time I was wrapping it to ship, I realized I had not washed the red fabric in the very center of the quilt (probably the only piece of real red in the thing). So I wrote a very long letter about why the quilt was hers, and asked her to never wash it! Now, I don't store any fabric in my stash until it is washed. Not only is washed fabric good for the chemo patients for which I make most of my quilts, it doesn't have a chemically smell when I iron. If you are washing fat quarters I found that if you unfold and stack the fq's together, it works great if you pin on all four corners and in the middle with a safety pin. That way they don't get twisted in the washer. I unpin before I throw in the dryer. I wash all my fabrics on hot water with regular detergent.