I wash very little. If it is a red or black or dark green I usually get it wet in hot water to see if it is going to run, if it does I throw it in the washer. I damp dry the fabric and then starch it before I use it. I have had very few newer fabrics run but some of the older ones have.

I wash everything & always use a color catcher.

That way when I have a small project everything is ready to go.

no, i didn't. i had never had the problem before. i did try the shout color catcher after i found out it bled but it didn't help it.

Do you realize dry cleaning is applying harmful chemicals to your quilt? And when your quilts are placed on beds the chemicals are getting on the bed? As well as on the hands of everyone that touches the quilt? Not only are these chemicals toxic to everything they touch they are also harsh to the fabrics.

I wash everything to get any excess chemicals out of the fabrics. I have allegeries and do this on doctors advice.

I haven't gone back and read all the responses but I will tell you there are several reasons I always wash my fabric before using it. First, they are full of chemicals and I am allergic to just about everything. So in this instance it is a health issue for me. Also, any fabric that comes in from outside the US is sprayed with insecticide and fumigated (the boxes, not the actual fabric though my understanding is that the fumes can make it to the fabric). For me this is good enough to wash it since I know that many insecticides can be absorbed into the skin and I tend to have a habit of fondling my fabric. There is also a natural grown mold that loves cotton and washing it removes all the spores, again a health issue for me.

There are also non-health related reasons why I always wash my fabric and it comes down to the same reasons most everyone else does - to shrink the fabric back into its original shape and to make sure none of the dyes will run after the quilt is made.

I have lots of friends who prewash their fabrics and lots of friends who don't. So far no quilt police have come to arrest anyone from either side. ;)

I have a friend who imports from Bali and I buy many pieces from her and they always smell. She says they are fumigated 3 separate times, once before going on the ship, twice coming off the ship and many times when we unwrap we find dead bugs. I wash these in warm water, rinse in cold water, re-rinse in warm water and hang to dry. I never dry in a dryer as some of these pieces are too delicate for that heat.

It makes sense that they would be fumigated that many times, but ew! I have a friend who told me I would die if I knew some of the dead things she's pulled out of fabric boxes, including a dead scorpion. :shock:

Oh my, I'm not quite that picky! I know that every quilt I have made has been washed by the recipient, so I'm not too worried about that. Chemicals from a dry-cleaned quilt getting on the bed and on peoples' hands? I'm not worried. I've seen very expensive commercially-made quilts and comforters marked "Dry Clean Only", just like the matching drapes that are available. The toxic chemicals you mention are most probably in a lot of things we touch on a daily basis, including detergents and laundry supplies. In fact, I know people who are allergic to some laundry detergents! My sister is allergic to Tide! Besides, most people wear dry-cleaned clothing next to their skin all the time so what's the difference? Do you know how many people dry clean their wool winter coats, silk blouses, business suits, etc? If someone has an allergy to dry cleaning products, I don't dry clean, and I don't dry clean anything meant for a child. I've never had any complaints, I don't think I've done anything wrong, so please don't make me feel stupid or guilty.

I always prewash my fabric in hot water in my sink and add a 1/4 cup of vingar no matter what never know when you might have shrinkage. Vingar sets the dye or at least stops the excess dye from bleeding to much. I have gotten into washing each fabric piece seperate.