Do I need to wash precuts?
 

I'm new here and a newbie quilter. It's so encouraging to know I have all your advice and experience at my fingertips! I have a question about using precuts.

The quilt I'm making is going to be a combination of precut jelly roll strips, some unlaundered yardage from the same collection (for border and binding), a neutral colored cotton sheet cut into strips to be used on quilt top with precut strips, and a new, unlaundered cotton sheet for the backing. So the only fabric that has been laundered is the neutral colored cotton sheet. This sheet will make up about a quarter of the quilt top. The quilt is going to be used regularly, so it will be washed from time to time. Should I wash all the fabric, or just start sewing?!

Since some has already been washed, I would wash the rest of it. You can pick up an inexpensive mesh bag at Wal-Mart and put your jelly roll strips in it to prevent a lot of thread getting all knotted up.
If you choose to not wash, then remember when the quilt is finished and washed, some of the fabric might shrink and some of it won't shrink.

Because they are jelly rolls, I don't think I would prewash--could be lots of fraying. But if you decide to, don't put them in the machine, instead fill a basin with as hot a water as you can stand, (you don't really need to WASH them to get them to shrink), soak a few like coloured at a time, squeeze out as much water as you can and hang dry over a towel rack or something similar. They will have to be ironed too of course. This will also allow you to see if any are going to bleed excessively. If any do, you can soak in a mixture of water, vinegar and a bit of salt, then rinse. That should inhibit the bleeding.

I fear if you try an wash the jelly roll you are going to have a lot of fraying. So my advice would be do not wash it.

If you put a couple basting stitches in a few of the strips like 4-5 or pin them then put into the mesh bags, it'll keep them from knotting. They may still fray but not as bad. I quit buying precuts because they have not all been the sizes they say they are. Measure because mine were always off by 1/2" in width and length. I prefer yardage and cut my own strips.

My last quilt was a Dresden Plate

All I had in the precut kit were the blades and circles. I had to supply the rest.

I used three cream colored sheets I bought at the thrift store and some muslin I had laying around.

I didn't want to wash the precuts because I was afraid they would fray too much but I did wash the sheets I bought from the thrift store so I have a combination of washed and unwashed in my quilt.

But it came out very well and I washed it after it was done.

It's on the pictures board

I washed a jelly roll once and once was enough for me!

Although I don't use many precuts, I usually don't prewash for fear of fraying and shrinking out of shape to be usable. However, I have pre washed some Fat Quarters that I was worried about bleeding dye, and I just put them in a sink of medium hot water, let them soak for 10-15 minutes, then gently hung up on hangars with clothespins to dry. No agitation or tumbling in dry to avoid fraying.

I do not think it would make a difference if pre washed or not because the sheet and the quilting fabric are never going to shrink the same amount if pre washed or not .

This only works if organic dyes were used.

Cari