How do you wash your fat quarters?
 

I have several sets of fat quarters and want to have them ready for quilts, pillowcases, purses etc. I always wash my fabric due to allergies. Do you stitch around the outside to prevent fraying or do you use another method to stop them from fraying? I have tried pinking and this did not work very well. Thanks in advance for all the help! I love this board for information! It's the best!

I serge the cut edges and throw them in the washer and dryer. If they are going to shrink or have color run, I want it to happen before I put it in a quilt. Zig zag will be fine too.

Zigzagging might be faster...and use less thread? do you agree?

I just toss them in the washer, on gentle cycle, separate any that are tangled when they're done, and toss in the dryer. If there are strings, so be it - I just cut them off. I guess I have a higher tolerance for fraying than some people do, but I'd rather deal with that than spend time preparing each piece. (I even use the same method for all scraps, no matter the size.)

My washer has a handwash cycle. Just a gentle swish. No strings at all. I love this feature.

What about throwing them in a lingerie wash bag? Would that help? I haven't used fat quarters yet, but I think I might try that!

You would use less thread but serging is faster.

I wash mine sometimes in mesh laundry bags and sometimes not, depending on whether I remember to do it. Like dunster, if they fray, they fray and I think it's a good thing to know ahead of time, because I can treat that fabric differently when it comes to sewing pieces together.

I toss mine in the sink to rinse through. If they run, I hand-wash until they have run their course.

Then I wring them out and smooth them on a large towel which I roll up and squeeze any excess water into the towel. I either hang-dry or iron-dry the rest. It may sound like a lot of work but it doesn't seem so to me.

Just use a gentle circle on your machine or if your machine is heavy on fabrics throw them in the largest lingerie bag you can find.

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

I just finished washing twelve FQs. Not enough to fill a wash load. filled a bucket with hot water and just a bit of detergent. (I don't do anything to the FQs.)

Swished them around for a minute and drained the water and refilled a couple of times to rinse the soap.

I throw the water into the garden, not down the drain. That would be a waste. Every bit of water that can go back to ground, should.

Squeezed out most of the water and tossed into the dryer untill damp dry. I would usually hang them outside but was in a hurry to use the fabric.

When damp dry I spray them with home made starch and press them dry for immediate use.
peace

I use this same process for jelly rolls. Put in sink with straight Hot water and 1 - 2 tsp of Retayne. Like colors together. Gently swish with wooden spoon. Let sit 20 minutes. Rinse until water is clear. Place in salad spinner and twirl until most of the excess water is spun out. Hang on clothes drying rack to dry. When nearly dry press. I find using the straight hot water gets the shrinking accomplished without resorting to clothes dryer.

I have handwash cycle and never used it...Now I have to try it out for the fat quarters. Do you do the same
for larger pcs. of fabric

I wash, dry and iron them all.
except Jelly rolls.

depending on the # of fg's I put the in a laundry bag, the mesh one, or if at lot I just throw them in the washer.
Dosn't seem to ravel too much, ,take them out while the are still hot and place over a clothes rack.
Good luck.

Great ideas thank you!!!!!

I throw them in the sink with hot water and dish soap. Swish them around, rinse, throw into the salad spinner and iron dry. If too many for a sink wash, laundry bag and dryer.

I no longer pre wash my fat quarters; but when I did wash them, I serged both cut edges. You could zig zag the raw edges or cut them with pinking shears. Merivale's suggestions would work and would be faster.

I do this too.

That's what I use to wash FQs. You can put six or more in the lingerie bag and there's minimal stringing.

I toss them in the washer in a delicate cycle then the dryer. Deal with the threads after, it is not that bad, and you have well prepared fabric.

Many times I don't wash them! OOPS, I guess. When I wash smaller pieces of unknown origin, I do as others have said and put them in the sink with warm to almost hot water and let them soak for a little while, I wring and press dry. I am more concerned with bleeding than shrinkage. The thought of washing all of those FQ's is....daunting. But perhaps I should start on the task just to be sure.

I use the same method as mad quilter at times I have had sandy dirt was out of them

I wash all fabric by hand so don't have a problem.

I hand wash mine. No fraying that way

I put mine in a mesh lingerie bag and toss them in the washer

I've learned that if I serge around all of the cut edges of my fabric I can wash it without any ravels at all. I do it on large and small pieces. I just fold and store them until I'm ready to use them. Then of course I prepare them for use by ironing them with starch if needed.

if you have a salad spinner--- that workd great for small pieces---just wash in the sink and spin then dry however ---works for me

Lingerie bag is what I use for washing FQ

Call me lazy :D r call me a rebel :D but I toss mine in regular cycle in my washing machine with color catchers... all colors, do not seperate.... and mine come out fine. I do keep a small pair of scissors by my dryer for strings but rarely find it a problem. Guess I just don't have the patience that a lot of you have. :D