Does pre-washing Charms change their shape?
 

I finally found a use for some pretty charm packs I bought from MSQ a while back. This cute bunny quilt someone on QB shared a link to:

http://thecraftyquilter.com/wp-conte...ter-Rabbit.pdf

I sewed the blocks together and the corners didn't match up so I took it apart and tried again, only to find out the charms were not square. They were wider in one direction by about 1/8"

Are they supposed to be square? I pre-washed them, and pressed them flat, I was careful not to iron sideways.

They can change shape with prewashing. This is because the lengthwide grain of the fabric can shrink in a different amount than the crosswise grain. If you are going to prewash, it's always best to prewash before cutting.

I always pre-wash my fabric BUT I do not pre-wash charms, layer cakes etc. I had a layer cake that I pre-washed on gentle in a mesh bag and they were so distorted and UNsquare it was awful.

I never pre-wash pre-cuts. Creates disaster. Ask me how I know!:D

One reason I no longer buy pre-cuts! Many are hard to resist, but you end up going back and correcting--hardly worth it for the convenience they claim to give you.

I agree, and will not buy pre-cuts any more. I had bought these before I read all the horror stories about the stuff in fabric. I also worry about runs, as I've had red fabric that refused to quit bleeding, wash after wash...

Thank you Prism for explaining it's the weave of the cloth that causes them to shrink more in one direction, that is exactly what happened. Maybe they should cut the charms and layer cakes on the bias?

I actually had a Moda charm pack that shrunk when I pressed them using Bounce Ironing spray and steam! I doused them pretty good with the ironing spray because I wanted them to be pretty stiff when I sewed them together.

Bias cuts would make it worse. On a bias-cut square, the lengthwise grain and crosswise grains would still be there, but would be running corner-to-corner and bias cuts are so stretchy they are likely to distort even more with handling.

If you think about it, pre-cut squares are probably not going to be cut on the absolute straight-of-grain anyway.

There's no way to cut a piece of fabric without the two grains in there!

I don't know why anyone would want to prewash charms or other precuts. That's just me but I don't in general wash any fabric prior to quilting it and I've never had something shrink so much it looked bad. Too much work and then I have to starch the heck out of it to get that crispness to make it easy to sew.

I am a died in the wool pre-washer, but I do not pre wash pre cuts. for all the reasons above. I only buy them for quilts that I want to use a little bit of each fabric in a line. I only buy pre cut brands that I have used yardage in. So far I have not had a problem.