At my local thrift store, I paid $3.69 for a treasure trove of 16” x 17” samples of home decorating fabrics. There are about 40 of them, all different patterns, still attached to the labels that give the pattern name, content, etc. Most of them are cotton, but fabric care instructions say “NAFM Cleaning Code: S” which according to my research means “solvent or dry cleaning products”. I’m guessing the dyes may run if they’re washed, but I’m inclined to wash them anyway and just see what happens before I invest any time in using them. That’s what I do with rayon clothing that says dry clean only. I don’t dry clean anything because I don’t want to be exposed to the solvents or spend the money—if it can’t be washed, I don’t wear it… What do you think?

Well, rayon says dry clean because it becomes delicate when wet...

I say if the finished product would be better if it WAS able to be washed, I'd prewash them. That way if there's shrinking going on, you take it out of the equation.

FWIW, I bought yardage of home decor fabric and washed it with no ill effects. Minimal shrinking, minimal wrinkling. It was Amy Butler.

Usually they tell you not to wash home dec fabric because it removes the starch, or whatever it is, that gives the fabric some stiffness. Also, depending upon the pattern, it might have gold leaf-type printing that might wash out. I made drapes out of just such a material and they washed up just fine but did lose some of it's luster. Good luck!

I'd go ahead and wash them. A lot of home dec fabrics are treated to resist staining and washing takes some of that away. I think that's the main reason they say 'Dry Clean'. I also read somewhere that manufacturers sometimes use the 'Dry Clean' guidelines on fabric that is perfectly washable because it removes any liability for slight shrinkage. I've washed quite a few for bags and stuff and never had any problem, and some of them feel a lot nicer after they are washed. As Rebecca said, if you want to throw the finished product in the washer, then pre-wash. If there's going to be a problem, better to find out now! Great find and have fun! Hope you post some pictures.

Thanks! I think you're right. About half of the samples say "Fabricut"; the rest have no manufacturer's name. I assume they came out of sample books.

Great find! I would wash too, even if one or two get ruined, you still did great!

I also would try and wash them. Even though I am not a "pre-washer" I would run those before using in a quilt, you want to be sure that they won't fall apart or something before you use them.

I had a bunch of similar samples. I washed them, and most of the cotton ones lost the stain-resistant coating they had (and thus lost some sheen). There was one red that bled really bad, and a green (or was it blue?) that bled a little.

I think it's a good idea to wash, just so there are no surprises later (and really, even if it's for a wall quilt, sometime down the line you or another owner might want to wash it).

Here are some pictures. In the first one, they're all folded in half to save space.

I would wash them now, rather than be disappointed later.
They are very pretty samples :D:D:D