Yes! We'll start our own organization, and have meetings! (At the laundromat.)

@ hopflower: A more complete explanation is posted earlier in this thread, but basically it is to ensure that any fabric changes possible (especially shrinkage and color loss) show up before you make the quilt. Unless you keep all of the quilts you make you can never be entirely sure of how they will be treated in their new homes, so if you pre-abuse your fabric the future owners will not have to deal with unpleasant surprises down the road.

I've never had a huge shrinkage problem before, but I have had fabrics unexpectedly bleed in the prewash - fabric that was not even dark or batik. And once I had a fabric actually SHRED in the wash. It was a deeply discounted clearance cotton fabric, so I wasn't out much cash, but it was truly startling to open the washer and see strips instead of yardage! (I suspect it had been exposed to sunlight.)

Alison

PS I really didn't mean to reopen the wash/not-wash can'o'worms.

I had the same problem with one of Joann's backings. It shrank from 108" to 102". I didn't wash it in hot water. The store didn't do anything about it. They still had it on the shelf a week later.

Proportionately, that's the same as a shrinkage of 42" to 39-1/2" ... not really abnormal.

low temp dry by blowing gently across the fabric with slightly puckered lips on a warm summer day

It only shrank because you puckered too much. Guess you'll only do THAT once...note to self: no practicing for Valentine's day while prepping quilt fabric.

LOL- Alison, you're a gem. Washing & drying in hot/abusing the fabric up front makes perfect sense since you don't know what kind of abuse it will get on the other end. Better to get it all cleared up beforehand than have a paying customer accuse you of shoddy workmanship.

On the laundramat comment...that, too, makes sense since my own washing machine- while "XL" capacity, doesn't like being overloaded, so I'd be inclined to take a quilt to a commercial washer/dryer for just that reason.

All good points, allisonquilts. Even though you give care instructions, it doesn't necessarily mean that the recipient will follow them. I like your "kamikaze approach" to save headaches and heartaches in the future.

I also wondered--why was in hot water? If I prewash I use the same temp that I would wash the finished product with.

Heck ... it happens in our own homes!!!
......... where things jump into the washer at the wrong time ... hot water instead of cold or whites in with denim.

Surely this has happened to some others! :)

I didn't realize that the laundry police read the posts on the Quilting Board! LOL

I agree. I don't want anything that sits on a bed where people sit, lie down, pet the cats or the dogs or each other that I can't give a good hot washing. froggyintexas

Alison...Now is your chance to test your creativity. I always put something that complements the front of the quilt when I am making the back. I cut the backing in half lenghtwise and insert some that uses some of the fabric from the front. It lends a lot of interest to the quilt. Let us know how you make out....