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If the item you take to the drycleaners is cotton, they do not use drycleaning fluid on it. They put it into a great big washing machine!

CK, I think my favorite moment in all of quilting is "pulling the warm fluffy new quilt from the dryer"!

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckcowl

i seldom wash first (depends) but ALWAYS wash the quilt when it is done...no matter who it is for, i figure i should be the first one to wash it and make sure everything holds together well and nothing runs...and i love pulling the warm fluffy new quilt from the dryer...there have been an occassion or two when there was a little 'bleeding' or a small seam separation and then i had time to fix it before passing it on. color grabbers from the laundry section of the store work well and will 'catch' any dyes that are unstable...i will try to attach a couple pics of my latest quilt...and i used bali-pops in it and yes, dog-gone it, they ran...

I do not wash my fabric first, however,I do use color catcher sheets with the first three washes of all my quilts and if given as a gift I include the sheets they go in wash n dry. I havn't had a problem (knock on anything) but it truly is a choice of each quilter and a controversy we will probably always talk about. Good luck! Keep on quilting!

I prewash all of my fabric. After I complete the quilt I wash it because I usually leave a bit of DNA somewhere. If you "almost" completely dry the fabric then take it out and fold you do not get so many wrinkles so less ironing. Good luck and happy quilting!

When I get fabric, it goes straight to the washer. No fabric goes in my sewing room till its washed. I just don't want to take a chance of colors bleeding onto other fabrics and the shrinking of 100% cotton fabrics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggy

I HAVE BEEN QUILTING FOR 25+ YEARS AND HAVE WON RIBBONS AT JUDGED SHOWS (NOT NATIONAL). THE FIRST THING THAT I DO WHEN I BRING NEW FABRIC HOME IS TO SOAK IT IN 120 DEGREE FAHR. WATER. THIS HAS 2 ADVANTAGES. ONE - IT IMMEDIATELY SHRINKS THE FIBERS SO THAT THERE IS NO FURTHER SHRINKING WHEN YOU LAUNDER YOUR QUILT LATER. SECOND - THE EXCESS DYE IS REMOVED. YOU MAY HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR WATER SEVERAL TIMES TO REMOVE ALL THE DYE. MY SISTER PURCHASED AN AMISH QUILT FOR $500 (RED & WHITE). SINCE SHE HAS PET DOGS, SHE SOON HAD TO LAUNDER IT. SINCE THE EXCESS DYE HAD NOT BEEN REMOVED, THE QUILT WAS RUINED.

I DO NOT PLACE MY FABRIC IN MY FABRIC CLOSET UNTIL I HAVE DONE THE ABOVE. THEN I KNOW THAT IT IS READY TO USE.

AFTER THE FABRIC HAS SOAKED, I DRY IT IN THE DRYER, PRESS IT, AND STORE IT.

THIS WAY, YOUR QUILTS WILL NEVER SHRINK OR DYE RUIN YOUR BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE CREATION. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!

I AM NEW TO THIS WEBSITE. LIVE IN DAPHNE, AL AND WOULD LOVE TO MEET OTHER QUILTERS FROM THIS AREA. NO, I DO NOT BELONG TO A GUILD - MY PREFERENCE.

i do exactly what peggy does these additions: i don't soak, i gently wash. i think the agitation shrinks the fabric even more. i use a detergent that i would use on my laundry, and if it's white, i use bleach. i use synthropol on colors.

after the quilt is finished, i launder it again, on gentle on cool. here the batting will shrink from the agitation. if you soak only, the shrinkage will be less. if you pre-shrink the batting, as i once did, the shrinkage is even less. anyway, on that final washing, i use horse shampoo, whatever brand is on sale, and synthropol again, then fabric softener, then the dryer. fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. if it's a gift i leave out the softener. if it's a hanging, i don't wash when i'ts done.

i don't want my efforts or my money to be wasted.

It's the age old quilter's question! And I think half wash and half do not. But one thing is certain, we all make beautiful quilts regardless!

I purchased a lot of fabric this winter - measured everything before washing - also serged the raw edges - washed in hot (whatever that was at the laundromat) - dried on permanent press setting.

Then measured after drying and pressing.

Almost every piece had some shrinkage - quite a few of the pieces shrank at least two inches in width. This was BOTH quilt shop fabric and walmart fabric.

The Michael Miller black I bought shrank over two inches in width.

I want to know how the fabric will behave after it has been washed. If it has truly bad manners, I will either try to return it (sometimes it works!) or discard it. I don't want someone else's work to get messed up, either.

I consider prewashing fabric to be in the same category as properly preparing walls before painting them.

i've heard the same thing about michael miller. must be a looser weave to begin with, that tightens up very closely in hot water, to bring it down in measurement that much. also, in commercial laundromats, the agitators frequently are rougher than at home. that would add to the shrinkage.

Butterflywing - I'm curious why you leave out softener if it's a gift? Is it somehow bad for the fabric?