Becoming a prewasher
 

In my quest to become a prewasher, I am spending my day going through my enormous stash, cutting 2.5" strips and then cutting my yardage into 3yd cuts and washing them. I can't even believe how much fabric I have!! I'm trying to get into the prewasher mode to keep from ruining the quilts I make. I wish that I had always done this because it is hard doing it now. I keep trying to wash like colors for piles that have 3yds or less. But that's tough with my rather eclectic stash and having to do repeated washings to clear out the dye! Long day ahead of me here.
Tanya

Why not wash it as you use it? That's what I'm going to do, because like you I never washed first and Ive had some fabrics shrink more than I wanted them to.

Prewashing fabrics
 

I have always prewashed my fabrics but I don't do it when I buy them - only when I am going to use them. I overlock the raw edges before washing, starching and ironing them. This way, I know which fabrics have been prewashed, and which haven't - and it prevents a real mess of tangled threads in the washing machine and on the fabric!

That had been my plan until I had some bleed and some shrink more than I wanted them to later. Plus, we will be moving to another base by the summer and if it's Stateside I will want it all washed by then because it will be stored in a crate and then shipped on a boat before we get it. It took 3 months for our stuff to get here. I can only get so much done per day anyway since we have shared washers and dryers here. I never used to prewash and I may go back to that after today-lol!

It is time well spent, in my opinion. When it comes time to use the fabric, you will be so glad that it is ready to go!

Dayle

My problem is that I never washed. Now I have so much and as I am planning new projects, I am wanting this fabric washed already. I may need to start washing as I buy and then I won't have so much to catch up on later.

When fabric comes home with me, it is all washed before it enters the stash!
That way I know anything I have is ready to go ... and if I'm wanting to start a project, I can, rather than needing to wash it.

What I don't understand, is ..... Why would you want to cut your longer lengths into 3 yd lengths?

It's mostly just because I haven't needed it in more than 3 yd lengths at present. It isn't all getting cut like that. Just when I have anything that is more than 6 yards. I cut a 3 yard chunk off of those. The stuff that is 6 yards or less is left as is. Plus I have friends that I trade with and it's usually 3 yard cuts that they trade.

While I appreciate your reasons ... For the sake of a little time to cut when you need it downsized, I would leave it all in one piece. It's disappointing when you don't have enough fabric for a project ... and even worse when you have enough, but it requires extra seams to get it back into one piece. Another example ... when you only need 2 yards of that three. Then when you only need 2 of the 2nd three yards, and have a yard left, you now have two one yard pieces ... that would be more usable as a two yard piece.

Yes, JIMHO! :)

I always washed everything I bought when I got it home. Somehow along the way I have stopped doing that, in favour of washing the colors I think might bleed. I normally cut a snip off the piece and put it in a glass of hot water and watch, then I decide if I need to wash.