How do you prep your fabric?
 

Disclaimer: I can be "full of questions" so I am going to try my best to limit myself to one question a week. If I ask something that has been answered before, you won't hurt my feelings by directing me to previous posts.

I've read many different views on pre-washing, starching, etc. I would like to do an open poll of the methods used to prepare your fabric before cutting. For example, do you prefer to pre-wash your fabric, air dry, and iron with no starch. I'm also interested in knowing your "why" you have these preferences.

Being honest with myself, I can be lazy when it comes to these things (washing, ironing, etc). I just want to sew, already! :) However, if it will make a huge difference than I would certainly do any prep work necessary.

As always, thank you in advance for your valuable wisdom.

I am bad and never have pre-washed because I don't want to be burden with all that pressing. Right now, I am working with strips so I spray starch them before sewing and cutting them into blocks.

I don't prewash. I'm too lazy! There, I said it! :)

But seriously, I asked the lady in my LQS and she said that it's not necessary any longer with new fabrics. However, if it is a very colour intense fabric (e.g. a red batik) she dunks the edge into a glass of boiled water, if it doesn't shed colour, you're ok to use it like this, otherwise pre-wash. She advised me to just iron the fabrics with lots of steam as it's apparently the heat that makes fabric shrink. I do that now.

And if I feel that the fabric is a little flimsy and not stiff enough for my taste I also starch them (before cutting and sometimes when pressing seams as well). Also, when I know that I'll be working with bias cut pieces I use more starch.

OK, Fabric, this is going to be as painful for you as it is for me. Just bear with me and I promise in the end you will be a beautiful quilt (or a beautiful UFO, depending on how much you frustrate me!!) I find that a little pep talk really helps;)

I'm completely hit and miss with my prep! Sometimes I prewash everything beforehand. Sometimes I prewash most fabrics but forget to prewash others. Sometimes I don't even bother to iron the fabric to get the crease lines out!
I guess it all depends on how excited I am to get on with the project! Usually when I forget to prewash I will realise when I make the last cut of all the cutting out, and then curse myself!
I've only had one major issue when the completed quilt is washed and that was from a black border that I hadn't prewashed. I've since invested in boxes of colour catchers and haven't had any other problems!
I've not had much shrinkage in any of my quilts, apart from one that I meticulously prewashed every bit! Although I think that was probably down to the batting (even though I prewashed that too!)
Fingers crossed I don't have any major issues in the future!

I always pre wash yardage. Why? some fabrics bleed (color runs) and some shrink. I use warm water with regular laundry det. and a color catcher, ( laundry product, designed to grab color from water, and hold it). Dry on med just like I would the finished quilt. I smooth by hand and fold for storage. When ready to use I Iron and use spray starch before cutting. Starching before cutting seems to make fabric easier to handle and keeps stretching on diagonal cut to a minimum. I do not iron before folding because I always iron before cutting to get out fold lines from storage and why iron twice? I do not like to iron!

I prewash all my fabric -- if for nothing more than to get all the chemicals out of it. I dry it in the dryer but do not iron i. I then ruler fold it and put it in the right drawer. I iron the fabric just before I use it. Then I will also use starch. I'm not going to waste my time ironing right after washing if I'm going to put it away. It will need to be ironed before it is cut anyway.

I pre-wash all fabrics in warm water, because I prefer working with clean (chemical-free) fabric, and because I don't like the idea of fabric shrinking unevenly after it's been sewn together; that seems potentially problematic to me. I don't pre-test my fabric for bleeding, though I think that's a good idea. I do group my fabrics for color when pre-washing, and use a color catcher for most loads (and they do often come out with quite a bit of color in them.) I dry the fabric in the dryer, then hand press and fold for storage. I press the fabric before cutting, using Best Press.

I pre-wash everything (except pre-cuts, which I actually don't use too much) in cool or luke warm water and dry on low heat. Before washing I zigzag the cut edges to reduce loose threads. Once dry I iron, using Best Press (Fresh Linen - I love the smell of that stuff) and then fold and put away until I'm ready to use it. I have always hated to iron, but for some reason I actually enjoy ironing new fabrics. If the fabric needs a little pressing before cutting I'll iron it again, also using Best Press.

I do pre- wash every fabric with just a little detergent and no softener, gentle/ short cycle.

Either dry in machine on low setting or hang outside (weather).

I do not iron fabric at this point but straighten and fold it and put into stock shelf.

I double starch on back, press on front ( starch & press - starch & press). I do this after I cut the amount I want to use off the main length of fabric. It just makes it easier to handle. Re fold the main piece and place in basket that goes with project. I like to keep all my fabrics for one project together in case I want to cut more.

I also don't like to cut out an entire quilt at one time. What if I cut it all wrong!

After the starch& press I will begin to sub cut the fabric into the pieces I need for the project.

Why do I do this? It really does make the fabric easier to handle, controls fraying and distortion. The number one reason is because I like to play with fabric. It is all part of the joy of making a quilt. There is a meditation and calmness in doing these acts as part of the creative process. I love it.

peace

Another vote for skip the pre-wash. If you have to starch and size it back up after washing what is the point?
Don't shoot! :):D

This is pretty much exactly what I do, too, except that I TRY to remember to pull the fabric out of the dryer when it's still just a touch damp, and I drape it over a stand-up clothes dryer thing in my sewing room. Especially with long yardage - my machines like to twist up longer pieces of fabric and if it dries with those creases it takes way too much work to get them back out again.

Wow, I'm surprised that so far the majority pre-washes. I had never heard of a "color catcher" before. I also especially like the idea of dipping in boiling water to test. Also, the point of washing away chemicals is reason enough for me to pre-wash. My son has sensitive skin so if for no other reason, that is good enough.

I preWash all dark color fabric yardage. I preWash light colors sometimes if I have the time and energy. If i do preWash I iron with spray starch before using. I rarely use precuts but if I do I never preWash them..

Thank you for the tips on how to starch and press. Also your reminder to embrace the entire process as meditation is encouraging.

Do an experiment. Take a yard of printed cotton. Measure both the length and width. Machine wash & dry. I have found that if you put a yard in, you get a yard out BUT it almost always shrinks width of fabric. Sometimes a half inch, sometimes almost 2. I prewash everything. Prints shrink and Batiks bleed. I am also a starcher. 1/2 StaFlo, 1/2 water, dip the fabric, dry till damp, then iron.

Me, too (though I have been known to wash heavily dyed flannel and batik--usually red ones).

Like others, I pre-wash. I have allergies and develop a cough if I don't. Washer/dryer, just as I expect the quilt will be washed, so hopefully, no further shrinking. To be honest, I use good fabric and I've yet to have significant shrinking except with flannel. I hand press out of the dryer, then iron and press with starch before cutting. It gives the fabric a bit more body and makes it easier to work with.

Welcome to the board.

I prewash if I am making a garment, for example a jacket. However for a quilt seldom. I read once that a gal prewashed and she snipped on the diagonal one corner to mark the fabric it had been washed.

The only thing I've pre washed is flannel, and maybe something from a garage sale if it isn't "fresh" smelling. So far I haven't had any problems. I'm not a starcher. I have Best Press, Niagara, and the old discontinued Bounce. They don't do much for me. That being said, I don't do intricate quilts, mostly patchwork or strips.

Also, to the OP, we have a search function you might try using as a start to your questions and then go from there. I'm pretty sure the wash vs. no wash has been discussed a bunch of times. And still no consensus!!!

I serge or overcast the raw edges.

I sort the pieces by color - then put them in hot water (as hot as it comes from the tap) and let the pieces set until the water cools down. I use pots, pans, sinks, etc. to put the pieces of fabric in.

I poke at the pieces now and then to see if there is any colored water. If the water is colored, I look to see which piece of fabric is putting out dye. That piece will get extra attention.

After I am reasonably confident that all this wet stuff will not share color - i put it in the washing machine with just a tiny amount of detergent and wash it either in warm or cold water on a short gentle cycle.

Then I will dry it on "permanent press" or line dry it.

Then I fold it and store it until I am ready to use it. The only time I iron a piece right after washing it is if it is really wrinkled. It usually is fine with "hand-pressing."

I feel that agitation is what makes fabric look used/worn - so I try to keep that to a minimum. Don't over load the washer or the dryer.

I feel that fabric should have enough body to not need starch/sizing to be usable.

I do iron the fabric before cutting it. I usually iron it on the back - with the grain lines - it's easier to see the grain lines from the back.

If I get a nasty bleeder, I will try to return it or discard it. No reason to stick someone else with a problem.

Some people mess with Retayne, Synthrapol, and/or color catchers. I want my fabric to be user-friendly when the item is completed - I also assume that most people (that would get things I make) are just going to dump the quilt in the washer and wash it without worrying about color migrating/bleeding.

I have measured hundreds of pieces before and after washing - to see if it was worth the effort. It is to me. Shrinkage has varied from none - to over 2.5 inches in width on a 42 inch wide "new" piece. I can't tell just by looking. I've had at least one piece of every bright color bleed. I've also washed many pieces of intense colors that left the water perfectly clear.

I am not particularly phobic about yard/garage sale or thrift store pieces. But I will give them a sniff test before taking them home.



I

I wash my fabric when I bring it home. I use color catchers when washing mixed colored fabrics. I put them in the dryer with my woolie balls and run it on low for 10 minutes and then I hang all of the fabric on the clothes line. I have found over the 4 years that I have been quilting that if I have just gotten some fabric, I wash it in the next load of laundry, dry for 10 minutes in the dryer using my woolie balls to keep the fabric fluffed, hang in on the closeline. Otherwise, I wash batches if I am getting in the process of making a quilt. I have purchased fabric at garage sales (really good buys) and it stays in the garage as I slowly wash it. Yes, I know it is a lot of trouble but I think of where it could have been made, chemical allergies of family members, and want to make sure shrinkage won't be a problem (you don't want to know about the charm packs) and then I put a note on it washed and how much yardage is in each piece of fabric and put it on a styrofoam sheet (purchased at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon) cut in 10" by 5" pieces.

I'm another who does not pre wash. Until a couple of years ago, I serged the cut ends of my fabric and washed it. Then I started using lots of jelly rolls, layer cakes, and charm squares. Those, I did not pre wash, so I just stopped pre washing altogether. I like to work with very stiff fabric so I heavily spray fabric and precuts with a mixture of 2/3 Sta Flo 1/3 water. After starching, I put the fabric in a zip lock plastic bag which I keep in the freezer until I get around to ironing. This works for me. When I wash the quilt, I use color catchers.

spray starch and press. like the feel of unwashed

Rarely pre-wash because I have never had bleeding, shrinkage etc and not doing it works just fine for me.

Starch when I am cutting strips, bias or fussy cut or doing especially complex pattern.

i always wash the fabric when it comes in the house. then, when i get the urge to make the quilt, it is ready for me. i also wash because i don't want any shrinking or bleeding issues later.

I pre-wash everything, by color, before I store it. Hot wash, warm rinse, minimal detergent, no softener, gentle cycle, fabrics only (no clothes, etc), and no more than 10 yards at a time. The gentle cycle prevents fabric knotting in the washer.
I prewash for the following reasons:
to remove the chemicals (formaldehyde, insect repellants, sizing, stiffeners, etc) so it's clean,
to shrink the fabric so it doesn't shrink later on,
to remove excess dyes so it doesn't bleed, run, or need to be forever washed with Color Catchers,
to make sure the fabric is ready for fusing, painting, or dyeing if I choose to go that route spontaneously,
to return the grain to it's normal position so what I create with it is accurate.

I then trim any loose threads, shake the fabric flat, toss it into the dryer and proceed to dry on regular heat, no softener, on the setting that turns the machine off when the load is dry.
I follow that routine because it has resulted in no fabrics knotting up in the dryer and no frayed edges (Kona Solids included) measuring more than an eighth of an inch for the many years I've been doing it.
I fold the fabric and store it flat until I'm ready to use it.

I iron, yes iron, the fabric following the grain, with or without steam and/or a water spray, depending on the 'wrinkleness', no starch at all, not ever.
I do not use starch/sizing/Best Press/etc for the following reasons:
to keep the fabric chemical and additive free for the same reason I pre-washed it,
to keep the fabric in it's natural state so I can work WITH it, not beat it into submission,
to keep the fabric on grain,
to assure that the fabrics, when washed in the finished quilt, do not 'relax' from some shape they were forced into by starching,
to assure that no bugs will be attracted to starched fabric that has to be restored for any reason (earwigs are a potential pest here).

Fabric is flexible, pliable and supple by it's very nature. That's what I love about it and that's how I want to work with it. For me, it loses it's very spirit when it's turmed into cardboard. We each do what suits us the best and that's the way it should be, certainly when it comes to quilting anyway. :)

WAY too wordy, sorry. :o

I pre-wash for all the normal reasons - get rid of the bleeders, get the shrinking out of the way, and get rid of the chemicals. I then partially dry, sometimes in the dryer, sometimes not, and I press the fabric before putting it away. I have a huge stash, and pressed fabric takes less room and looks better. Sure I sometimes have to press again when I actually use it, but it's not as big a chore then. Think of pressing as petting the fabric and then it won't seem like work.

I prewash to get out any dust or nasty chemicals that could trigger my allergies and start an asthma attack. I use unscented detergent, gentle wash, no fabric softener. Generally don't use much starch or sizing because of the smell. Also, prewashing takes care of the shrinkage and dye problems.

I don't pre-wash. Just put it in its color-coded bin when I get it home as it awaits its quilting fate. I've had virtually no issues with bleeding or weird shrinking when I wash the quilted items after completion. And I've even used quilting flannel in quilts and as backings, and I love bright colors. I've only pre-washed one time when I made a red and white wedding quilt for my daughter. She wouldn't have been happy with pink.

When I use the fabric, I steam out any wrinkles. Usually only use starch if I absolutely need to do it.

I have learned
 

I no longer buy as many "precuts", I buy yardage and fatquarters.
I wash all my fabric.
I starch all my fabric (I spray it and let its soak in)
I then press all my starched fabric.
I prefer a heavy starch, it makes cutting and piecing much easier.
It is more work yes, but for me it's worth it and I have much better results.
I also take my time when sewing and I am happier with my results.

YMMV

When I started quilting, I knew nothing and did not pre-wash. I pretty much just start cutting when I know what I want to make. Sometimes, I do not even iron, and hope for the best. (please don't tell the quilting police.) :-)

I don't pre-wash, unless the fabric is a batik, or unless I'm using the fabric for clothing, then I do pre-wash.

I starch every piece of fabric I'm going to work with, at least 2 hours ahead of the time, throw it in a plastic bag, and let it sit, then I'll take it out, either line dry or throw in the dryer for a few minutes, then iron, have never had a problem with the iron getting all gunky then, I do spray mist with water since I don't use the steam on my iron,
when your iron gets all gunky, it's because when you ironing instead of ironing the fabric, you were ironing the starch.

I have been making quilts since about 1976, and I have never pre-washed my fabric. I always press it and some times I use sizing. I have never had a fabric bleed when the quilt was washed. I have never used Batiks.

I'm another mixed answer :-) I prewash flannel and dark heavily dyed fabrics. I don't buy fabric at garage sales etc, not that I wouldn't, just don't have time. I steam and starch before cutting, and use mainly Best Press during piecing. Use color catchers when washing quilt after.

I am also lazy, and I only prewash stuff I will embroider, other than that never wash, too lazy to iron. I never used starch until a year ago and now never live without the stuff. There is no right or wrong it is just simply a preference people have been doing it just fine both ways for years. Me personally don't think it makes a big difference because batting controls shrinkage and even if you prewash you will still get some shrinkage

I pre-wash everything (even those Fat Quarters that say not to pre-wash) in Tap Water Cold on the shortest Handwash cycle in my washer with a small amount of Tide Free & Clear (no bleach, no fabric softener) & then dry them on Low or No Heat.
Then, after they have completely dried (some need to sit on the drying rack for a bit), I starch & iron them.

Since I work almost entirely with baby quilts, I want to do as much as possible to get out any extra dyes or chemicals before passing it along to the baby. I figure between pre-washing, soaking to remove markings & washing again 1-2x once it's quilted I've given it my best effort to provide the safest quilt I can. :)

That said, I know Art quilters that wouldn't dream of washing fabrics ever! So I guess it's a matter of personal preference & a bit of how you plan to use the quilt. If it's going to be washed quite often -- especially if you're making it as a gift & the recipient may well go ahead & wash the quilt in warm water & dry it on medium heat -- I really would recommend pre-washing to help shrink the fabrics some before quilting (since fabrics can shrink at different rates), but if the quilts are for you or someone who will take special care when washing them, go ahead & get right into the quilting! :)

On the other hand, all the art quilters I know, myself included, always pre-wash their fabrics in order to prepare them for dyeing, painting, printing, fusing, stamping, discharging, and so on. The chemicals on commercial fabrics prevent all those things from forming a proper bond with the fibers of the cloth so they need to be removed by washing before most surface design techniques are used. It's their finished quilts that seldom, if ever, see water. As you say, it all depends on your plans for the quilt, both during and after construction. :)

There's never a shortage of discussion on this topic:) .

I prewash everything for the following reasons:

-peace of mind (don't want any disappointments from bleeding or shrinkage once the quilt is made or washed)
-cleanliness (some warehouses and shipping containers have bugs)
-more time to pet my fabric
-more likely to remember what I bought than if I bought it and stored it away till ready to use

The best prep I found for peace of mind is this recipe from the Amish, given to me by LQS owner (who admits to only using this method on really dark colors because she is too busy making quilts on her days off).

http://www.quiltingboard.com/links-r...g-t237701.html


That said, I preSOAK each new piece of fabric in the bathroom sink. Sometimes I'm surprised at which colors run. If a color keeps running after a few soaks, I don't use it.

Maybe you're right. Could have simply been a misunderstanding on my part. :)