I put mine in a mesh bag and throw them in the washer. Sometimes I hand wash in the sink and spread out between two towels like madquilter said. What ever works

I have done both the mesh bag or throw them in a bowl of water or sink and let them soak - ONCE.. just once I threw them in the washer on regular cycle .. just once was enough for me LOL too messy :shock:

The soaking in a bowl / sink will tell you if the fabric will lose color , I have thrown fabric out after 5-10 soaks and they are still bleeding :(

Wash mine by hand as I use them. I try to be careful with ones that look like the color might run and do them separately. Squeeze some of the excess moisture with a towel and then toss them in the dryer.

Thanks for the really good suggestions. i have washed fabric that gets so tangled that I didn't want to lose the extra inches if I could help it. I think the serging and the laundry bag will do the trick. But....no laundry bag today. Will have to wait to use it so just serging today. Gotta get some sewing done!! Thanks again everyone.

I pink the edges (some unravel but most don't).

Most importantly, I wash by colour and throw in a colour catcher or two: wash on gentle with either warm or hot water with two cold rinses using Tide Free. If I'm washing a group of really dark colours, say purples, I throw in all the purple catchers. (see below*)

If the catchers are coloured after the cycles finish, I throw in an additional catcher and either "just" rinse again or rewash.

Ultimately, the FQs go into the dryer on "Low".

In between the extra rinses or re-washing, I also snip off any long strings. By the time the FQs go into the dryer they are string free. :)

*BTW, colour catchers are reusable especially if you keep them separated by colour: they just get darker and darker. *LOL* They are actually quite pretty. :o

Oh thank you so much Housedragon. (with a name like that I think I need you at my house) I had forgotten about the color catchers. Yep, that's a great idea. Will do all of the above and I know they will be fine. I just hate cutting stringy messes off my beautiful fabric!! thanks again to all! ps I think I will stitch or serge around them as I have pinked them in the past and they were still a mess.

im with Dunster---i separate them according to color (if any worry about bleeding) and i toss them into the washer on a short/gentle cycle- then i separate them - and toss them into the dryer- when they come out-if any have alot of strings i pull them off (or cut them off) then i spend some time *lovingly* ironing, fondling, folding them to be put away. :D

I usually just rinse in as hot water as I can stand, squeeze out the excess water, and if I'm doing a bunch, throw them into the washer just for a spin cycle, then into a hot dryer. They don't seem to fray too much. which reminds me, I have a pile of FQ's and HY's that need prepping. I also hate to stop 'the creative process' just to shrink a couple of pieces of fabric.

Thanks for the hint about the colour catchers Housedragon. Will keep it in mind.

agree with kwilter I do lingerie bag