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I learned from a quilt class that if you clip the corners of your material it won't ravel in the washer, that would be much easier than sewing the edges. Good luck and move that sewing room back upstairs!

I have used the pinking shears on the raw edges of the
fabric before washing and it certainly stops alot of the
raveling of the material
Cleo

Quote:

Originally Posted by cindyw

.....What do I do??? I know normally when you wash fabric you sew the raw edges but there are literally hundreds of pieces. (I inherited my mothers stash plus what I already had so it's a lot!) Can I wash it without sewing the raw edges? Will it be a big mess? Will it unravel much? Or should I just start sewing, washing and drying? I can't imagine how long that will take but I will do whatever is necessary.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

I recently acquired a front-loading washer. As I have only recently begun to wash large amounts of fabric again, I found that this front loader, set on delicate wash with slow spin, doesn't tangle or 'string' fabrics as my years of top loaders did. I damp dried the last batch and hung on drying racks afterward with really good results. If you don't have a front loader, perhaps a friend does, or the local laundry mat (IF they can set to delicate), or even hire it out.

What a chore you have ahead of you, I'm so sorry! But, at least you get to fondle all that lovely fabric again!

Jan in VA

Quote:

Originally Posted by featherweight

You can also clip a little triangle off of each corner. This will keep it from raveling. Good luck. Just think how nice and clean it will be when you are all finished.

I never sew edges. I do as featherweight does: clip a triangle from each corner to prevent ravelling. This also lets me know which fabrics I've washed and which I haven't. The vinegar will help and although it's a big job it's sure doable. Wash smaller pieces in a lingerie bag. If you have a freezer (or a whole lot of room in your fridge LOL) don't dry the fabric completely. Stash it in the freezer until you have time to start ironing. The cold seems to make it a whole lot easier to iron. Good luck!

You know, if it were me and I had a large back yard with some grass I would spread as much as I could to dry and start washing.
Lot's of fabric like that can be a daunting chore to do. It can take awhile and in the meantime I wouldn't want it sitting there with water soaked getting smelly. The fresh air and sun would help wonders..

Borax will also take the mildew out of clothes. It will not bleach fabric, also can use less detergent. Always use in my wash loads.

I feel for you. I had about a foot of water in my basement one time. I washed over 80 loads. These were mostly bolts as I tend to by by the bolt.( back then I could buy wholesale) we had a sump pump go out. Any way I washed with odo- ban worked great. I have a mangle (bet some of you don't know what that is) & I ironed all 80 loads. what a headache. you can get through this, it just takes time.

Hope you got it all taken care of - what a mess. Looks like you got a lot of good information. Good luck!

I read your post yesterday AM and I thought about you all day. You said you had some fabric that ran and asked about the color catcher things. YES! they do work. My 14 year old daughter washed her new school clothes together -- new jeans and all! I could have killed her. But I rewashed them with a scoop of oxyclean and a color catcher and all turned out just fine.

I agree with all suggestions. Wash asap and cut the strings off as you take out. White vinegar is also good for keeping bright clothes bleeding on each other.