Let's hear it for the pre-wash !!! I always sew the ends of the fabric before washing so it won't ravel as much. That really helps. Just sew a straight or zig-zag stitch.
I don't have a dryer so I hang them on the clothes line then iron them.
Lowell ;)

I never prewash but use Color Catchers when I wash the quilt when I am done. I prefer the little bit of shrinakge look on my quilts.

I learned the hard way to always prewash my fabric. I had a dresden plate (orange ) run all over the white background. A few years ago I had a beautiful red rose print run all over the white background. It took 3 days of work to get it out. I about had a heart attack as it was all needle turned applique! Now nothing comes into my sewing room til it's washed!

i usually do not prewash my cotton fabrics but i will prewash some of my batiks. the dye process in some batiks allow the colors to run and i would not want that to happen after i make a quilt.

i have found that CT fabrics do unravel a lot more than other fabrics i purchase. for precuts (rolls or charms) that i purchase from CT, i handwash those. i swish them around in hot water, rinse and squeeze the water out.

good luck with your projects.

I never prewash material. I wash everything after it's done. Never had a problem

I've been sewing since the War of 1812. I prewash simply because I did it back in the day when shrinkage and fading were a problem. I still prewash because I am afraid of getting that one piece of fabric that will fade out or shrink on me.

I don't usually prewash. But with a collection of CT solids, when I spritzed with water and pressed with a hot iron, the amount of shrinkage was pretty shocking. I measured the shrinkage to be 3 inches in one direction, 2 in the other on a fat quarter.

If you are mixing with other fabric lines, planning to make a quilt with heavy use, or are a real stickler for precision piecing, I think, based on my experience, it's safer to prewash.

It's so odd (and fascinating) that we have such divergent experience with the same fabric; wonder if any CT staff watch this board?

Something that may help you with the unravelling would be to sew a straignt or zig zag stitch down the side of fabric as close to the edge (both ends) as you can get. I do that to all my fabrics before washing them. It really cuts dow on unravelling.
Lowell :thumbup:

I have done both, depending on what I was doing with the fabrics. It washes well.

I'm one of those pre-washers! I prewash everything as I had a red fabric run years ago in one of my first quilts. I have bought tons of CT fabrics and found them to be great quality. I have also bought a number of their kits and prewash them too. They are quite generous in the amounts they give you - I've never been short - just be careful and don't make mistakes cutting out your pieces. They give excellent instructions showing you how to cut your pieces - you can see how much extra you will have left over. I really like that the kits I have ordered they give you enough to cut your borders in one strip lengthwise on the fabric. You don't have to cut crosswise and piece the borders.

I have noticed that CT solid fabrics seem to ravel a bit, nothing out of the ordinary from other solids. I wondered if the process of printing dyes onto the fabric with prints sort of "anchors" the weave and prevents some fraying. Anyone out there know?

I pre wash everything. Fabric, batting, even put charms in a lingerie bag and wash them. Most of my friends who quilt dont and they say their projects come out fine too.

I pre-wash everything just to be safe. I also use those cloths I've had red and whites that have red in them bleed even with the cloth and it was very disappointing when finished. I think it was with flannel and one faded. I think it was a rag quilt so maybe so many washings faded it. Sue

This was my plan. I am still not quite as confident as I could be I guess. Because it is a kit I thought of all the ravels and decided against pre-washing. I also want to thank all of you who have so graciously responded. You are all so awesome.

Yay! This is my answer too. :thumbup:

I did wash mine. I used retayne, per the instructions on the bottle, and threw a color catcher into the wash. everything came out just fine; colors seem unchanged. I haven't even started the sewing yet, though!

I only read the first page of this subject.........but when I wash something that I'm afraid might bleed, I always use Color Catchers. Works great! (and the little catcher is sometimes quite colorful)

I would advise you to pre wash!!!!!!