Pre washing flannel precuts????
 

I have the most awesome flannel rag quilt to make out of these precut flannel pieces (picture attached). I am very concerned about colors running when this is washed...and since it is a rag quilt, it will be washed numerous times. And we all know how flannel can shrink!!! I have always pre washed my flannel, and I have experienced extreme shrinkage in some instances. But I know you shouldn't prewash or dry precuts, as they will ravel themselves into oblivion..especially flannel!! And I have never purchased precut flannel before. I couldn't resist this...the fabrics are adorable!!!

Please let me know what you have done that worked well for you, to avoid color run and shrinkage on flannel precuts. I am not going to touch this until I hear some words of wisdom from members of this awesome group. Thanks in advance for any advise or suggestions!!

i would buy a mesh lingerie bag and put the pieces in it.

then i would soak rhem in very hot water in a sink, large kettle, or bucket for at least an hour. ( like colors together - just in case there is a bleeder.)

i would rinse them.

my dryer will let me start at the spin cycle - so i would spin them

i have a drying rack - and would hsng the pieces on that.

there should be min8mal raveling doing it that way.

it is a bit of a bother to wash little bits of fabric - but i actively dislike unpleasant surprises.

i also prefer to get most of the shrinkage out of the way because i prefer a flatter look.

I would not prewash precut flannels if I was making a rag quilt. After made, I would only wash in cold water to make the flannel ravel.

I'm sorry -- I'm not a very experienced quilter, but first, I know I wouldn't buy "flannel" precuts. As a matter of fact, I don't buy any precuts because I don't want to deal with the problems inherent with those products. It is my person opinion that flannel precuts, unwashed as far as you know, are an invitation to disaster. JMHO

I wouldn't wash them either - omg, the raveling would be such a pain in the butt to deal w/!!! (even in the bag). When you quilt the quilt, that will stabilize the fabric, minimizing the shrinking and allowing the raveling. I don't ever prewash flannel when i use it on the back of a quilt.

I never prewash my flannels when making a raggy quilt. I’ve never had a flannel fabric bleed color. I’ve never prewashed precuts. And, I’ve never had a quilt not turn out because of these practices. Flannel raggy quilts come out great. I made one from precut flannel 9” squares that turned out so great.
I only wash a new made raggy quilt once, I clip, take it outside & shake it really good, wash it in a normal cycle. Take it outside again & shake it good then toss it into the dryer. I take it out every 15-20 minutes to shake it again & empty the lint trap until it’s done. Fabulous soft, cozy much loved quilts.

I think the best option is to make the quilt without pre-washing. This sounds contradictory because I am normally a pre-washer, I have had flannel that shed a lot of dye in the wash, and I have had flannel that shrank very unevenly. Some of it has been cheap flannel, but some of it has been the "good stuff". Still, I would not want to pre-wash flannel pre-cuts. (I would pre-wash it if it were yardage, even FQs.)

When I make a rag quilt I use 3 layers of flannel and no batting. In your case, the center layer could be white or grey or lavender - whatever color blends with your flannel pre-cuts. That way there's no quilting necessary, because the 3 layers are sewn together and have no chance to shift around. Even if some of the flannels shrink unevenly when the quilt is first washed, I don't think that would be a problem with a rag quilt. Use some color catchers in case any of the fabrics bleed.

I made several rag quilts a few Christmases ago and didn't pre-wash the flannel. I bought yardage so I can't vouch for pre-cuts but I wouldn't wash them. I use regular cotton pre-cuts and never wash them first.
My quilts came out fine.

I am a pre-washer. I made a small flannel rag quilt with precuts. I never prewashed. The quilt came wonderful, if there was shrinkage, it was all the same. This quilt has been washed many times, I use it in my fur babies, kennel. She loves it.