Do you prewash your fabric before you quilt?

If you search you will find many, many topics on prewashing. It seems to be about half of people do and half don't prewash fabric before they cut it.

Thus far I have always prewashed. I don't want to put all that work into a quilt and have one of the fabrics get wonky when washed.

Yes, I do.

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I definately do for flannels because they always shrink a little. But I like the 'crinkley' look the woven cottons get when they are washed for the first time after being made.

Only if I think it will bleed. I like the wrinkled look in my quilts.

No, unless it is flannel. I always pre-wash my flannels.

I don't. I do, however, test suspicious fabrics for bleeding. (I cut a small piece off and drop it in water to see if the dye bleeds into the water, then rub the damp fabric against a piece of white fabric to see if any dye transfers.) If I find a bleeder, I wash that piece of fabric in Retayne to permanently set the color. It is very rare that I find a fabric that needs to be treated, but I am extra-cautious with reds.

Unless making a rag quilt, it's a good idea to prewash and machine dry flannel because it shrinks *so* much.

Yes, unless making a rag quilt.

I do have a hand piecing project that I didn't wash - due to it being a block of the month program. Unfortunately, it appears that my hands are sensitive to something on that line of fabric. Crazy itching, though I'm ruling out that it was a side effect of stitching while watching my son play ice hockey.

Cheers, K

ok thanks
I have never prewashed and never checked for bleeding either. I guess I have truely never thought of it bleeding or shrinking. Never had a problem.

I only prewash when I feel the fabric may either bleed or shrink a lot, always prewash flannel, event the "best" quilters flannel will shrink, I do like the look of a quilt after it is washed which makes it look antique even when its brand new

100% cotton will shrink some, and not all fabric will shrink the same amount. Good enough reason to pre-wash?
I have found that I minimize the ironing needed by setting my washer for SLOW spin, then hanging fabric on the clothesline with pins every 10 - 12". Newer fabrics tend to wrinkle a lot less than older cottons. (I occasionally am given a piece I know is old by the 36" width -- they always wrinkle a lot more!)

No I don't prewash...I wait and wash when my quilt is finished. However, I always prewash flannel because of the shrinkage.

thanks

hands in air over this. if I wonder about color fast I will. found a new post here about a "bleeder" a fabric that will not stop from running.. so , wow.. would throw that out.. not worth the work to be hurt.
so, I do and I don't.. = no help !
but the reason I am posting is.. to warn you.. some fabric is just really safe, but not often found.

respect the nature of the fabric and wash or no wash accordingly. some shrink, some bleed and some do strange things....

If I am doing a planned quilt with only a few different fabrics, I prewash. For scrappy quilts I don't always do all the fabrics. When I wash my quilts I always throw a "color catcher" in the washer. So far has worked out okay. I'm probably due for a bleeding quilt!

i only prewash flannel.

i treat batiks with retayne.

if i had fabric from an unknown source (bought 2nd hand, gifted from some ones older stash) i would prewash it.

i feel very confident in the quality of the fabric i buy and dye and in 8 years have never had a single problem.