Do ya do it or not?
I do, cuz I prewash everything, new or 2nd hand, but I find FQ's don't seem to come out very square. It is cuz they're cheap? or do all FQs lose their shape?

I prewash. I work too hard on my quilts to not prewash them...they do shrink and bleed. I do not prewash my batting so I still get a nice crinkle look.

I am a pre-washer so I put my FQs in a bag and wash/dry as usual. I know of people who wash them by hand.

Depends on material

since all woven fabrics (if they shrink) will shrink more in one direction than the other it is normal for fabric to be a bit (mis-shaped) after washing/drying. many people who choose to pre=wash pre-cuts find this happening- it can be quite bad with 5" charm squares-
when pre-washing yardage you simply don't notice it as much it is not as big a deal....that's why if you contact the fabric manufacturers and ask they will tell you they do not recommend pre-washing any pre-cuts- they say they are meant to be used as they are- pre=washing is not necessary ...
they simply do not understand that (some of us) always pre-wash- regardless---
so we have to live with the results of our (not-recommended) decision.
one of the big reasons i seldom spend my hard earned $$ on pre-cuts...the frustration (and waste) seems to outweigh the convienience for me....i'd rather cut my own pre-cuts after pre-washing- that way i know my 2 1/2" strips are going to be 2 1/2"...and my fq's are going to be 18"x20"

Did it once. Threads everywhere. What a mess!

I rarely prewash anything; use a colour catcher in the first couple of quilt washes.
If I feel I need to wash FQs I do it by hand in the sink. They're too distorted by machine washing, even in a lingere (bad spelling) bag

I am also a prewasher. Have had too many fabrics bleed like stuck pigs. Fat quarters and fabrics from BOM's get a quick rinse with hot water. If the piece is really small, I'll even iron it dry instead of using the dryer. I care more about not ruining my finished product, than losing an inch of fabric.

I only prewash yardage. Use color catcher.

fabric bleeds.. absolutely !!! small stuff, I use .. OK.. will get a lot of flack from this.. but really does test the fabric.

Dawn dish soap in a 6 cup glass measuring cup under the facet.. in hot water..

really does test the fabric and can see right away if it will be a problem.. some just washes out.. and clear water then is what comes after the soap is gone..

I don't want to chance some fabric running color.. too much work !

Larger sizes, I wash normally, and dry normally.

I pre-wash everything for the same reason as others have voiced... given the time and effort I invest in a project, I do not want any surprises in the end.

I hand wash small pieces (fat quarter and below) and iron dry.

me too. and my shapes won't go wonky

I pre-wash for the same reasons. Material is the cheapest part of a quilt if you consider your time at minimum wage. (federal: $7.25hr). The thought of having my work ruined by one of the fabrics bleeding is enough for me to take the time to wash everything.

I do the hot water/Dawn in measuring cup test.....really works......BUT, I only test anything primarily red or navy blue...those are the ones that seem to bleed if they're going to bleed....and actually I seem to stay away from those.....I do not pre wash anything else for quilts, but if I am doing a tablerunner or placemats I will pre-rinse fabric with hot water so the finished product does not pucker in the future (use poly thin batt).

I prewash FQ. I've done tests with both FQ and yardage and found some of the shrinkage is enough that my finished project would have been terribly wonky. I envy those that don't and have not had problems. But since I mostly hand quilt and it takes me 6+ months to finish a quilt I don't want to risk any odd shrinkage. Also, I know the quilts I make will end up in the wash and the dryer with no special handling so pre-washing is a must.

If I were making something for display or knew that it would only be gently washed and laid out to dry I wouldn't worry about pre-washing.

No prewash for me - I do wash the quilt after I finish so far no problems.

I pre-wash in a mesh bag. :wink:

I finish the raw edges (either serge or zigzag) of the FQs and wash them.

Look at the threads after they are washed - they probably are trying to be perpendicular to each other.

If the fabric got misaligned during the processing, it was probably wound on the bolt off-grain. When it was cut, it was probably cut perpendicular to the fold or selvage - but the crosswise threads may or may not have been perpendicular to the selvages.

Which is why the FQ looks "wonky" after is is washed. It went back to what is "normal" for that piece of fabric.

I don't prewash anything. I've never had problems

I prewash, in cold water, using delicate cycle & the little bags for delicates, & softner, then trim any threads & toss them in the dryer. Then I fold them & mine usually come out square. I don't iron them till I am ready to use them, then only iron what area I need....

Ok, so ya'll confirmed why I don't buy FQ's. I did get a bag of at least 20 of them in our quarterly gift exchange, and am washing them now. They are all small checked patterns in anteeky lookin green, red, and tans. I know I'm gonna enjoy using them on something!

I also trim the threads before putting them in the dryer.

I doubt I will ever buy jelly rolls or charm packs. Too messy, and expensive for my taste. I supose I'm a little bit anal about some stuff.

I am a pre-shrinker. Smaller pieces of fabric I usually soak in hot water for about fifteen minutes then I put it in the dryer. I have been disappointed too many times when sewing garments that haven't been pre shrunk and after the first washing just didn't fit right, etc. I would never want to spend all that time on a quilt and then have it bleed its colors.

Ditto -prewash in a lingere bag

[quote=chairjogger]

Dawn dish soap in a 6 cup glass measuring cup under the facet.. in hot water..
really does test the fabric and can see right away if it will be a problem.. some just washes out.. and clear water then is what comes after the soap is gone..

[partial quote]


I love Dawn and use it most of the time, but I think there is bleach in Dawn. I have had my dish clothes bleed forever and ever, even when I bleach them in the wash.
So Dawn might not be the best choice for washing fabric where you do not intend to bleach at all.

I use laundry detergent and mostly pre-wash. It depends on the source.

i prewash by hand in the sink and then iron dry. this avoids the fraying and still will shrink the fabric. I have noticed that fq's are not always cut straight so that is the reason they come out wonky. I do the best I can in cutting them but loose fabric on both ends.

If you wash and dry them loose, rather than in a lingerie bag, they lose their shape because they are so small. The warp and weft threads are relatively short, so there isn't enough length to "anchor" the weave.

They should be easy to re-true.

First make sure they were cut along the grain to start with. Pull a thread perpendicular to the selvedge on either side and trim anything that hangs over that straight thread line. Likewise, pull a warp thread from the edge parallel to the selvedge and make sure that the fabric is also true to that line.

Press lightly to get it to lay flat, then measure the diagonals. Take the corners of the shorter diagonal and give a GENTLE pull to shift the fabric back towards true. Emphasis on the gentle!

Measure the diagonals again and, if necessary, give another gentle pull to the shorter diagonal.

It is important to be gentle because it's better to have to pull three times in the same direction than it is to pull hard, have to correct that pull, then correct again. If you see what I mean.

Washing fabric in a lingerie bag helps to protect it from getting tangled around itself or around other items in the load, then getting pulled out of shape.

If I thini it's a bleeder, I will put in a basin with some Resveritol to set the color. Then I put in a salad spinner to get all the excess water out and hang to dry. Works well for batiks as well as reds and blues. Otherwise I generally use the lingerie bag method.

I pre-wash FQ's by hand too usually. Sometimes if I have a lot of them, I'll do a small load in the washing machine. Last night I was sewing some 10 inch blocks together by threes and figured it'd be easier to prewash them once I had a group. These came from a pre-cut bundle at Wal-mart's markdown area. 25 - Ten Inch Blocks.

I did say ten inch, right? ;)

After washing, they became 9 inch blocks...
Probably by the time I square them up, they will be 8 inch blocks. lol, so buyer beware. :)

Too keep fat quarters from fraying or getting wonky in the wash, I fold all edges to the inside and then fold it into a small square use a saftey pin to pin the center together, then put in a lingerie bag and wash and dry. Take out and iron. no shredded edges.
I also do this with yardage, and place pins all around the outside edge, comes out of dryer in the same shape as when you put it in washer. Just unfold and iron. No twisted fabric. The inside will be damp, so iron right away.

I just washed & dried a 5 yard piece of black fabric and it came out beautiful.

This is very interesting.....I will try this...Thanks.

I generally do but not in the washer. I rinse them in the sink and lay them flat on a towel which gets rolled up tight. This takes most of the water out - the rest gets ironed dry. (I usually NEED IT NOW!) If I have time, I let them dry throughout the house.

I do and usuallly I can steam iron them back in shape. I am a prewasher (hard to stop). Good luck on your projet. BrendaK

I rarely pre-wash. If the color looks a little "bleedy," I will clip off a bit and test it, but I like working with the fabric before it goes all limp and don't like starching and ironing yards and yards of fabric. I've made my last ten quilts without pre-washing and had no problems.

I almost always pre-wash my fabrics. The FQ's I hand wash, roll in a towel to get the excess water out, then iron. I have no trouble with them getting out of shape. I also pre-wash all my cotton batting. I don't use HOT water!!! I don't pre-wash other pre-cuts. I do use the color catcher when I do large fabrics if I think some of the colors might bleed.

I hand wash a lotta dishes, and sometimes handbags, but I never thought of hand washing FQs. Sounds like a good idea. I am through the greens. Going for the reds next.

I prewash all smaller pieces, but I do it the old fashioned way. In a tub ( or large bowl), using dawn dish detergent. I fill up the tub with warm water, add a tiny bit of dawn, add the pieces of the same color and swish. I leave it in the tub over night to let the dye ooze out. then i drain and rinse, and add a 1/4 cup of kosher salt, let it sit for a bit, then rinse and hang dry over the shower curtain rod. this is the way we did tye dye back in the 70's, but we heated the water/salt to set the colors first.

I always prewash. Some FQs hold their shape fairly well and some get a little wonky and some get a LOT wonkier. I guess it depends on the fabric and maybe how the FQ is cut.

I prewash FQs in the sink. I rinse them one a a time if I think they might bleed. Then I roll them in a towel to get most of the water out. Put them in the dryer because that is where they will shrink. I fold them when I take them out of the dryer, and iron when I get realy to use them.

I prewash everything.

I usually pre-wash FQ's by hand, but if there are many, I will put them in the washer on gentle cycle and a color catcher. I always pre-wash fabric. That way I know whether it will bleed or shrink, plus it gets out the chemicals used in manufacturing. I don't buy other pre-cuts anymore; I'd rather cut my own.