hello, I am new to quilting but have been reading up on it. I do have one question, when prewashing new fabric what do you use?

hi
You wash your material the same way that you will wash it after you make your quilt.
I sort my fabrics the first time I wash them just in case that that the fabric dyes run , I just put light colors together to wash them in the washing machine. Dark colors together and reds by themself, just the same way I wash clothes.
hope this helps

I don't ever prewash, I just wash my finished quilts with a dye sheet catcher, I use the Shout! brand. Works everytime, and I use lots of reds and creams in my quilts.

There is another reason to prewash fabric. I recently prewashed a fabric with a dark black background. Yes - fugitive dyes can be controled from bleeding onto other fabrics, but in this case, the fabric itself faded in streaks. I am certainly glad I found out before I put it into my quilt! The store I purchased the fabric at refunded my money and returned the faulty fabric to the dealer.

I always prewash my fabric and I just use my regular laundry soap to do it.

I prewash all my fabrics unless it's for a swap or exchange where unwashed is requested. I wash mine just as hellcat does.....sorted with just my regular detergent.
Gay

I don't add soap to mine. I just rinse. If I see color in the water I repeat.
I used solid red in a heavy cotton for a quilt back and it bled a lot. so that got rinsed a lot. Some fabric I use as is, I feel it and check contents; go with that, so far has worked.

I prewash, to get all sizing and extra dyes out. If I think a dark color is going to run, I wash it separately (in the washer with regular detergent) and then rinse with salt and cold water. It helps to lock in the colors or so I learned in Home Economics class in, oh, a couple of years ago just before I graduated high school. ;-)

Sharon

PS, lucky catch on that dark streaking fabric. Whew, I'd have been really "ticked" to have invested in quilt only to have it fade and streak!

Hi,

I always prewash my fabrics. On my dark blues and reds, I use the quilt soap along with distilled white vinegar. That sets the reds and blues. Washing the fabric first is a big plus. The only time I don't wash fabric first if I'm using light or medium colors (no reds, blues, etc.,) and I want it to look more quilted.

Shari

Isn't it enough just to rinse the fabric out in warm water in the bathtub or sink and then put it in the dryer? It seems to me that most of the fabric that might run will do it then.