I just washed 50 fat qtrs. I put them in a mesh bag when I washed them in the washing machine. I emptied the mesh bag into the dyer. I just took them out. very little fraying. couple a strings. The fabric is all quilt fabric which I think makes the difference.

I have never washed fat quarters.

I don't prewash anything. Ever.

Me, either.

I prewash everything....always.

I prewash almost everything. I have problems with the finish on many fabrics. I am really glad I do, as a friend and I bought the same fabric once. I prewashed, she didn't. It bled terribly and she had a ruined quilt.

I prewash everything. Yes, I think good quilt fabric has something to do with it. I just prewashed 1/4's this week and had very little fraying even though I just threw them in with the rest of the laundry, no bag.

I wash everything because of the chemicals. FQ go in a mesh bag. If there is a little fraying, I feel it is a necessary evil.

I worked in a clothing store for several years. When we opened a box of imported garments the odor was awful. We would hang them outside behind the store to air out or the whole store would stink. They not only treated fabrics with sizing, but imported items were treated with insecticides or we would open a box of bugs. I am assuming that since almost all fabric is imported that quilt fabric is the same.

Me too!

With all of the bed bug problems, shrinking fabrics, color runs etc...I always prewash...I have had some fabric shrink and pulled out a seam...I work to hard to see my work ruined.

I have tried to tell people this for years. I won't wear something from the store until it's been washed. For one the insecticides and for two you don't know who else tried it on.

Ditto.

The only thing I prewash is Batics and Flannel. Other than that I am with you!!!

I always pre wash also. I have found that washing alot of FQ's together gives me more fraying than if I just throw in a few with other larger pieces.

I don't see why a person would not wash fat qtrs...its so easy...very little fraying and seconds to iron...I have also seen some fabrics fade after washing and so glad I did wash since I ended up not using it for the project I was doing.

The net bag is brilliant, but if you don't have one a pillowcase tied at the end is a good substitute. I wash larger pieces this way. It definitely reduces the fraying.

If I'm making a quilt that will be washed, I prewash w/ detergent. If it'll be a wallhanging I don't. I've not had problems with the fabric and my skin, but if I did, I'd prewash everything and then starch afterwards to give the fabric back some body and control for cutting and piecing.

check this out guys: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-136146-1.htm

I wash fat qtrs. in a dish pan of hot water and rinse several times. Use the salad spinner to get rid of the water and press while wet. Takes care of bleeding and shrinking. All big pieces of fabric I surge the edges or zigzag them and in the washer and high heat of the dryer. That was there will be no mishaps. You never know how someone will wash their quilt once it has been gifted, so I do the worse that they can do,
hot water and hot dryer.
Brenda

Don't prewash because of all the strings and then the ironing. Lazy? probably. I did when I first started quilting, but then found I like cutting the unwashed fabric better. But then, I'm not allergic to the finishes.

I bought some Jenny Beyer fabric and it came with instructions to wash in case of running dyes.

I use a color catcher when I wash the completed quilt. They are made by different companies with different names, but they work.

Yes please..we have friends on this board who suffer! I prewash everything!

Good tip :thumbup: thanks.

I didn't used to until I read the discussion on this list entitled "Doc says wash your fabrics..."

That's the way I do my fat quarters.....works great! :-D

I prewash all fabric. from 6 yd pcs to 5" pieces. Always!

Ditto.

pre vs no to prewash

Just remember that most fabric is printed overseas where there is no control on the chemicals used in the printing process.

Nice

That includes me, too!

I know a lot of you dont prewash, but one of our posters not too long ago posted a pix of a quilt (I believe she said she spent over 1200 hours on and it was ruined by one of the fabrics bleeding)I always do, as for the fraying I read a tip to cut the 4 corners of the fabric on a 45 clip to lessen or prevent.:)

I pre-wash fat quarters in the sink and spin them in my salad spinner. No fraying.

I have found serging the edges works best for me, then i can tell the difference between washed and unwashed.


,

I won't say that I never wash or that I always wash fabric. But I recently did a class for the trip around the world and the teacher wanted the fabric washed and starched first. If I wash some of the fabric for a quilt I wash it all so that hopefully it'll all shrink at the same level.
Yesterday I had gotten more fabric for the back and I had heard that by cutting triangle out of the corners would make it fray less; it worked. I was so happy; I had tons of fraying w/the same fabric that I used w/the front of the quilt. Now when ever I wash I'll snip first. Have to try that on flannel

I prewash batting, FQ's, jelly rolls, everything. Thats just me. I never used to until I had some episodes with dye running, shrinkage, and the yuck factor of not knowing if the fabric was clean or treated with chemicals.

When I bring my fabric home it goes right to the laundry room. It doesn't come into the sewing room until it's washed.

When I bring my fabric home it goes right to the laundry room. It doesn't come into the sewing room until it's washed.

I wish I would've read this post last week. I wanted to hurriedly wash a few FQs over the weekend, so I put them in the washer with some permanent press clothes, no bag. It took longer to cut the strings out of everything than it did for the washing machine to wash and rinse them.

so do I pre-wash every thing. I do not want any surprises happening on a finished quilt.