Should I wash all of my fabrics first, then cut, or not??

I was told to always wash before cutting.

I never wash my fabric before using it. I like it to be nice and crisp.

I am not a washer either!
With the exception of Flannels, I always pre-wash flannels.

I, personally, do. The fabrics have not been hanging out in the cleanest places (warehouses, shipping containers, storerooms, etc.), so I always wash mine, but many people do not. Except for flannel - always wash flannel, several times.

you will get a million answers but it inevittably ends up with your personal prefference

Lots of opinions, ideas and solutions :D:D:D

http://www.quiltingboard.com/search....+fabric&u=&s=0

it is really a personal choice and a choice based on the color of your fabric and type of fabric. I don't worry to much about washing unless it is a batik or red or ones I would suspect of being a bleeder. Truly it is up to you to wash or not to wash. And the same with washing after you have finished the quilt.

yes, wash
I experimented & found diff fabrics will shrink diff amounts

thank you everyone! I think I'll try not washing the first time around :) I'm ready to get to cutting!

I don't wash unless I think it will shrink a lot or bleed. But I do wash flannel.

I guess it really depends on how much you like to iron. I know that when I don't wash, I have to do a light press, but when I wash, I have to iron. And I hate to iron.

If the fabrics are flannels or batiks, washing is a must. Flannels because of shrinkage, and batiks because there may be left over dyes from the batiking process. Rule of thumb used to be that reds / purples had to be washed because of bleeding, but that isn't always the case. You can do a test piece, but I've also been told horror stories about a fabrics bleeding in a quilt even after the fabric was pre-washed.

Also, if you are doing a swap of some type, check and make sure whether fabrics are supposed to be washed or not so everyone's fabrics are the same.

I do not wash before and so far no problems.

light colors, no. bright colors, YES

Only wash shades of red.

I wash all of it but flannel gets hot water and hot dryer!!!

I am a firm believer in pre-washing. I have had some very expensive LQS fabric shrink more than 1/8 inch after washing. I prefer to control the outcome of my quilt project as much as possible. So I pre-wash for: color bleed, fabric shrinkage, etc. I also second the opinion about warehouses and most storerooms. Have you ever been in one? They are nasty.

I know you should...but I don't. To me it adds to the element of nubbie~ness that I want. I use color catchers always when washing quilts too.

I'm rather new to quilting. The first 2 I made I did not prewash the fabric. I really like the crispness of the fabric while I'm working with it. BUT, then this bedbug thing started and the quilt I'm working on now I order the fabric online from Hancock Fabric so I did prewash. It shrunk more than I though it would. I still had enough fabric but I wasn't expecting as much shrinkage. It was rather inexpensive fabric, not sure if this was a factor or not.

Just use Magic Sizing when you iron and your crispness will return. Or if you really want to control that bias stretch use starch.

One of the few people that has actually experimented!
:thumbup:

I love to experiment. What am I going to try to destroy tomorrow? :XD:

I've had inexpensive fabric shrink a lot. I've had inexpensive fabric shrink hardly at all.

I've had expensive fabric shrink a lot. I've had expensive fabric shrink barely at all.

I measure fabric before and after washing it.

By the way, I've gotten "good quality" fabric both inexpensively and expensively.

Just wondering - how many of those that "never wash" measure their quilts before and after washing?

(I'm just sooooooooooooooo tired of all the comments about the chain stores poor fabric quality. Some of it is. Much of it is decent. It's up to the buyer to know what's suitable and what isn't.)

Personally I never prewash my fabric. I like the "pucker" I get when it's washed after quilting. I just put it in on cold with a Color Catcher in the wash and haven't had an issue yet.

But like everyone else....it's personal preferance. :)

I do wash mine, but everyone has their own opinion on it!

I agree it is personal preference. I just always wash everything pretty much as soon as I bring it in the house. That way I don't have to think about.

When I'm going to cut, I use spray starch to stiffen it up. I just spray it and throw it in the dryer, then a quick touch up with the iron and I'm ready to cut.

I agree! You have no idea how many chemicals and how much dirt is in that lovely "fresh" looking fabric.

Since I'm a pre-washer I treated myself to a pinking rotory blade (on sale). It saves me a whole lot of mess and, in the end, the loss of fabric and warping because of threads pulling and tangling in the process is better. (I experiment too.) I have to agree with bearisgray on the fabric comment. I have found there is a lot of variation.

It used to be that fabrics were washed to remove the formaldehyde from the fabric used in processing it. However, the "finish" used on fabrics, now, are not harmful and do not necessarily need to be washed out. When doing foundation piecing, it is often helpful to have the fabric new and unwashed. Shrinkage is also not an issue if using cotton batting as both the fabric and batting will shrink about 3%. Shout Color Catcher can be used with any fabrics that may fade. It is, ultimately, a matter of personal preference.

The packaging on Quilter's Dream batting said it shrank only 1%.

I had a Michael Miller fabric shrink over two inches in width. Assuming 44 inches in original width, that's over 4% shrinkage.

If this was a quilt 100 inches long - the batting would shrink 1 inch and the fabric would shrink over 4 inches.

Whatever works for you.

By the way, some sources say there is a tiny bit of formaldehyde in Retayne.

Just to make sure, if you were asking about washing AFTER you cut.....don't ever do that!

Wash in gentle cycle, (I line dry everything), press, then cut.

I wash all my fabric toget the sizing out espcially reds for fading

I used to prewash, but now I don't, with the exceptions of batiks. I like the old fashioned crinkly look, so that's one reason I don't prewash. I think it's a personal choice.

I wash mine for several reason's.... first, I don't want to worry about shrinkage so I do wash them in warm water and then there is color bleeding..had some from Gee's bend that I ended up tossing as it wouldn't stop bleeding..

Also, I have alot of allergy problems and I don't like to smell the dyes in fabric so I do wash and dry all my fabric. When they come out of the dryer I fold right away. When I am ready to cut or use them they are not badly wrinkled, smell better, feel better and I can starch and iron any then.

I do not.

This is a controversial issue you know. And like many have already said it is your personal choice.

In quilting I always wash before starching, cutting and sewing. The finish on the fabrics bothers my fingertips. Must be in whatever the manufacturers are putting on the fabrics to make them look even prettier.

I have friends who don't wash their fabrics prior to sewing so that when it is washed afterwards it shrinks giving it a nice quilty look.

I just read somewhere from a lady who makes her own starch that she always washes her fabric 'before' anything else. She starches so then she washes when the quilt is done. Not everyone does this.

Suggestion: for one whole quilt wash all of your fabric and then for the next one don't wash your fabric. Maybe start out with a doll size quilt. See how you like the feel of it when you are piecing it together and then how you like the looks of it afterward. Happy quilting.

:-D

I washed some strips that I had gotten at a garage sale - they WERE 2-1/2 inches wide. After washing, they were less than 2-3/8 inches wide.

I am not a fabric washer either..I do wash red fabrics though. I like the sturdiness of the fabric that is unwashed.

Me too.