Farm Quilter

I wash in hot water and hang to dry outside on my line. While the fabric is wet and hanging, I spray it heavily with starch and just let it dry. You do need to be careful with storing starched fabric as the starch attracts silverfish and other pests, if you live in an area where they thrive. I had to be careful when I was in Florida, but in eastern Washington where it is dry, I don't have a problem. I carefully fold the fabric off the line and when I want to use it, I press the fabric. Because the starch is dry, there is no residue on your fabric, iron or ironing board.

adamae

I do not wash fabric before sewing. However, if a person moistens with water or starch and applies heat from an iron...will it not shrink?

gram2five

I prewash my fabric in the machine on hot, then dry it in the dryer on warm. When it is dried, I fold it selvage to selvage, then ruler fold I and put it on the shelf. When I'm ready to use it, I have a table I covered with an old beach towel then an old sheet, I unfold what I am going to cut, spray it with 50% StaFlo and 50% water, let it dry then iron.

Holly H NY

Batiks are the only fabrics I prewash. I wash them in hot water with Retayne and a color catcher. The catcher comes out clean. I dry them in the dryer.

I did wash some non batik fabrics once, because I was collecting them from a variety of sources, and some had that "basement" smell. After drying I ironed with Best Press, and afterwards wished I had starched. They were not as easy to work with as my new, nonwashed fabrics are.

Jeanne S

I wash and dry completely. Then fold and store. When ready to use, spay with starch, let sit a few minutes to let the starch soak in, then iron with hot steam iron.

Angel Bear

Ok, I'm ready...no drink to choke on and I'm waiting to hear.

coopah

Well, okay tessagin and Angel Bear...and anyone else who wants to hear and not criticize. We have a septic system, so I try to keep chemicals out...as much as possible. And a front loading washer, so that's limiting. I buy batiks at quilt shops...not in any way substandard. BUT I do like very vibrant colors. So first they go in a pot, pail (whatever you have) in the hottest tap water for 10-12 hours. Lift out...drain, run under hot tap water to rinse. Second time around (here's the choking part), I pour boiling water from the teapot over it and add Dawn. Sits and gets rinsed again. Then it goes in the washer with a color catcher and the hottest water. The last 2 batiks have been in hot water more times than I want to think about. One took a whole box of color catchers. It started out a gorgeous tuquoise and now is a green and grey. It still releases dye on the color catchers. So I think pretty much I'm done with batiks. No one else seems to have this problem. I just don't want to make a quilt and have any chance of it bleeding. (Probably obsessive/compulsive) That's it. Hope there's no choking! If anyone has a solution without Retayne or Synthrapol, I'd like to hear it. Oh, I've done the vinegar/salt route too. Very discouraging.

quiltingshorttimer

If I wash--either because my bleed test failed or the fabric is from smelly source--then when its out of the washer it gets dried one of 2 way--either I really shake it out hard and put into dryer or, my favorite method, is to hang it on the clothes line to dry--very few wrinkles this way. Problem is not many folks have clotheslines anymore!

I don't press until I'm ready to cut-and then use steam(which if I haven't prewashed will deal with some shrinkage) or if that doesn't get out wrinkles, then Best Press. About the only time I use a heavy starch is after I cut any bias cuts(like on the Tri Recs ruler) and then I will spray some in an old pie pan and holding a stack of the fabric pieces needing starch, will just "paint" the edges of the whole stack.

Anniedeb

This is exactly what I do.

Farm Quilter

Thanks for the education! I live on a farm with a septic system and never even considered the chemicals I'm putting into it!! Could you possibly use Retayne or Synthrapol in your bucket and dump the bucket with that stuff in it away from your aquifer? I'm a city girl not used to the interesting, different systems we have here on the farm, so I'm always up for learning!! Is it a specific brand of batiks that is bleeding so much? Different brands seem to react differently - I think some over-dye the fabric. I don't want any bleeding on a quilt I have invested so much time and money on either, so I'll be obsessive/compulsive with you