to wash first or not
 

I purchased backing for my king sized quilt in a 108" x 4.5 yd. piece of muslin. I dread having to iron this large piece of muslin if I wash it first. Any problems with too much shrinkage if I don't wash it first?

I understand your dread of that ironing chore. However, in my experience there are many grades of muslin and some shrink a lot!! I would much rather get the shrinking done before I invested all the time in quilting it. Too much of a risk for me. But I do prefer less shrinking/crinkling in my finished quilts than more.

Wash it... mine shrank close to 9 inches.... rather before than after.

I bought legacy muslin from joann. Nice quality. 90 inches length shrank to 85 inches in length. This muslin did not shrink in width.

I had "pre- shrunk" roc- lon shrink a lot when i washed it. I do not remember the exact numbers now.

I measure most of my fabrics befor and after washing.

I would wash it for sure. Adjust it a couple times while drying and take it out promptly to minimize wrinkles.

Oh yes!!! Wash it first! Muslin shrinks a lot. I prewash everything. I don't want any surprises with the end product.

i agree. i once did a test on a 3 yard piece of yardage and it shrank almost 4 inches in one direction and more than 1 inch in the other

I would suggest you wash it. Muslin especially shrinks and you don't want to be disappointed if you don't wash it and put it on the back of your quilt which I am sure you put alot of time and effort into and have it shrink up. Good Luck.

All fabrics shrink. I washed 3 pieces of backing fabric to get the sizing out. They were so stiff. Each shrank 5" crosswise and 1" lengthwise.
That's a lot of shrinking even if you want a crinkly look.

I prewash 99% of my fabric, including all my backing - and never had to iron any of it. I put a large 100% cotton towel in the dryer, dry on mid-low heat and take out as soon as it's dry, which isn't all that long.

I find with backing, ones it's washed it relaxes and is more straight of grain. Some of it gets quite stretched out of shape when folded at the factory.

this is a personal option everyone has their own way of doing things and what works for you is what you should do

I prewash all fabric, unless I missed a bag like the other day and it found its way in the back of a closet. If it doesn't completely dry in the dryer, then I lay it across my bed after giving it a good shake. It helps the fabric relax and with a spritz of a little white vinegar and water, little ironing is needed. Works for me.

I join the chorus of people who recommend washing first. You don't want any surprises later. Muslin comes in so many qualities as you can see from the comments on how much shrinkage others have experienced.

If ironing this large piece is causing you to hesitate washing first, may I suggest washing it, drying it, then take it to your local drycleaner for pressing (they'll even fold it neatly and hang it on a hanger - like they do curtains).

I always wash muslin. Varying in quality does make a difference in shrinkage.

Guess I am the odd one out here. I probably wouldn't pre-shrink it. This is because my quilting lines tend to be pretty close together (usually not more than 2" or 3" in any direction). This type of quilting binds both top and backing fabrics to the batting, at which point the batting limits how much the fabrics can shrink. Fabric that shrinks a lot when washed alone will shrink very little when washed after having been quilted with lines 2" apart.

If I were planning on quilting lines being 5" apart, I might prewash the muslin. This is because over a 5" span, it would be possible for a highly-shrinking fabric to shrink a little more than the batting. However, before washing that large piece of yardage, I would probably do a test wash first on part of it. I would cut a 10" square from the muslin, wash and dry it, then measure the ironed piece. If it shrank an inch, I would probably prewash the whole piece.

A lot depends on how far apart your quilting lines will be. I enjoy quilting on my midarm frame so, instead of prewashing the musline, I would just plan on doing my usual close quilting.

TAke it to the cleaners and have it washed and ironed, can't be that expensive just tell them NO STARCH......

Yes wash first. I've seen muslin shrink like the devil and have even had what was supposed to be good quality large backing fabric shrink 4 inches!

I agree 100% with macybaby! There;s just too much chance for major shrinkage! Discretion is the better part of valor! Wash it and dry it in the dryer. If you don't wash and have major shrinkage, it could be disastrous. We don't want that to happen to you!

I always buy a "premium" muslin and don't ever pre-wash it. Shrinkage has never been an issue. I use it for background on the top and for the backing, too.

Have you ever measured the items before and after to verify that they arr still the same size?

I have learned from hard experience to prewash my fabrics. Not only for color shrinkage, but for dye issues. (I don't always buy the most reputable fabrics, and goodness knows what may happen if I don't prewash!) Recently I bought and washed some 108" backing fabrics, and was upset to have to figure out about pressing them afterwards. Was pretty pleased with my solution: I work on my "extra" dining table in the basement. I turned the vinyl table pads upside down so the felt was on top, covered the table pads with several old sheets that I clamped (Harbor freight stores sell several sizes of these) smoothly in place, and then got out the iron and pressed on my huge ironing table with a spray bottle for lightly spritzing the fabric. It worked out well. Good luck with your project!

I would definitely pre-wash your backing for two reasons. Muslin can shrink quite a bit, and 108" wide fabric tends to shrink quite a bit more than the 45" fabric. I had a cotton 108" backing that shrank almost 5", and it was a very high quality piece.

If it was other than muslin, would you wash it? There's your answer.