Washing Batiks
 

I was under the impression that you prewash batiks because they bleed. I have just received 10 batik fat quarters as a gift (from JoAnns) that states "do not prewash". So, do I not prewash the other fabric?

Most people do not prewash pre-cut batiks. I do, because the chemicals on the fabric eats up my fingers. I either put them in a small mesh bag and throw it in the washing machine with other items or I put them in a salad spinner with some soap. Not sure why they would tell you not to wash them.

I have bought FQ packs of batiks from JAF & I washed them without issue. I toss them in a sink with cold water & a Tbsp of Tide Free & swirl around a bit with my hands, then let soak with a Color Catcher for 20 minutes. Then, I rinse with clear, cool water before tossing in the dryer on low for 20 minutes, assuming they aren't still bleeding dye. I lay them on a rack to finish air drying before starching & pressing.

Like QuiltingCandy, I'm allergic to the sizing chemicals so I pre-wash everything no matter how small.

I almost always prewash batik yardage and don't with precuts--take my chances on those cause I don't want to mess up the size.

Same here. The batik process includes soaking the dyed fabric in very hot water to remove the dye.

That is strange, if it said not to prewash, I think I would prewash. Maybe they shrink to smaller than FQ size. I know some batiks are of a looser weave than others. You may want to test one just so see what it does. I don't prewash batiks unless it's an intense color like navy, red or forest green.

I guess they are concerned about shrinkage, but I would want them all to be shrunk so they wouldn't shrink later in uneven amounts (yes, your quilting might not allow as much, but I've seen seams tear away before).

I wash everything FQ and larger. If it shrinks a bit, I try to have plenty of material (so I generally buy a little more than I need).

Plus with Batiks I am always concerned about colors running....

I always get a fair amount of bleeding from batiks, judging by the look of the color catchers. I wouldn't risk using a batik unwashed (but I wash everything before using).

Same here. The very first quilt that I made, I used two batik layer cakes and pre-washed all of it in the washer, because I also have some chemical sensitivities. I'm pretty sure they shrunk a bit and probably bled a bit too, but I didn't know about color catchers at the time.

But they were such a tight weave that I had next to no raveling with them, and I squared them all up to 9 1/2" so the shrinkage wasn't a problem for me.

I wouldn't hesitate to pre-wash those fat quarters.

I don't prewash anything now. I take a snip of the fabric and wet it good with hot water and lay it on a white paper towel. If it bleeds, then I wash it. I just made two batik quilts for grandsons and I send Color Catchers with them. They washed great.