To pre-wash or not?
 

I am so bothered by the question "Pre-wash or not pre-wash? I love the look and feel of brand new fabrics and a quilt made without prewashing. But, after reading so many horror stories, I am afraid not to pre wash......can someone convince me what is the best thing to do?

It is a personal choice. I like to prewash because sometimes I rethink my fabric choices as I iron them. Also, I have had a red fabric and a very dark blue fabric bleed. Some people say that the fabrics are so much better these days that prewashing is not necessary. I don't think that there is a yes or no answer for you.

Ah, yes, the perennial wash or not question.
I pre wash everything, even precuts. I have found that all fabric except batiks shrink WOF (selvedge to selvedge) and many batiks bleed. Do a test. Take a piece of fabric, measure in both directions, wash & dry & re measure.

I am really lazy and hate to prewash...But I do do it sometimes! It depends on the colours I'm using. If black is involved then I will prewash because I've had a horrible experience with a beautiful quilt top that had a black border! I also think it depends on how I have bought the fabric. I sometimes wash fat quarters, but you do get a lot of tangley frayed bits. If I buy yardage then I will probably prewash it!

I don't prewash. I think if I did, I's never quilt, there would just be laundry baskets of clean wrinkled fabric all over.

Why take the chance of ruining a quilt with fabrics that might bleed? I just had fabrics the other day that I prewashed because they were bleeders.

I pre-wash everything except jelly rolls, and I have only bought one of those and received another as a prize. The fabric still feels as nice to me after prewashing, and actually it feels better if the original fabric had too much sizing. I like knowing that chemicals from manufacturing are washed away, and that shrinkage and bleeding will not be problems with the finished quilt. As soon as fabric comes in the door, it gets washed. The only exception I make is for fabric that is scheduled for a OBW or Stack and Whack, or bolts of fabric (which get washed when a chunk is cut off for use).

I've read so many reasons why people don't prewash, but I think it comes down to the fact that they don't want to spend the time washing and pressing before using the fabric. If they've never prewashed and never had a problem, it's hard to say that their process is wrong, but we read so many stories on this board of people who have had problems with bleeding or shrinkage, and we also read about the chemicals that are present in fabric causing health problems. I understand why someone who has a large unwashed stash would have a problem prewashing. I was fortunate in that I decided to prewash soon after I started quilting, when my stash was practically nonexistent.

I've had enough bleeding fabric in my lifetime (and not always reds but other colors too) that I'm very much in the pre-wash camp. I starch it before use and it's nice and ready to go. I don't generally use precuts, so no worries there.

Threads are posted here all the time by people who don't prewash and are sorry.

I prewash for the very reason that I have in the past bought new LQS quality fabric and was piecing a block with it. My iron leaked and the blue bled onto the white. Ugh!! So now I prewash, and then starch all my fabric. I like to play with my fabric, so it's not extra work for me. Gina

Personal choice here. I do pre-wash everything as it comes in the door. Can't stand the chemicals....