Hi everyone - Normallly I do not wash my fabrics before I make a quilt and have had no problems with that approach. I am concerned about batik fabrics though and am about to work on first batik quilt. I hear they shrink and bleed. I bought a pattern that require Bali pops, which are precut 2 1/2 inch strips. I'm worried if I wash the strips that the will fray and get smaller. Any thoughts on this? I'd appreciate any input I can get.

:D

I, myself, wouldn't wash them only because of their size.

You might try taking a fairly damp white cloth and rubbing it on them to check for bleeding. Or you could try washing and drying one of them and see how much it shrank. You can always use a color catcher when you wash your quilt the first time too if you are worried about bleeding :D

What about rinsing them out by hand in the sink to get rid of the excess dye? then laying them out flat to dry. Just a thought, then they wouldn't ravel
Sharon

How about hanging them on the shower rod to dry?

I thought it might be a good idea to put them in the sink, rinse in cold water, and let them air dry. I had that thought after I posted, so it's apparant that great minds think alike!! Ha ha.

Thanks everyone for your input and help.

Haven't done it yet. I'll post it when I do the rinse!

Fray check might help you and definitely use the color catcher. Good luck!

I've never heard of a color catcher before. Will it be at my lqs, or Joanne's?

You can get it at Joann's or you can get it by the Shout stain remover at your local super market.