What do you do with new fabric?
 

Hi All,

I am new to quilting and have just bought some lovely fabric.

I was wondering what you all do with new fabric - do you iron it and trim the edges so that it is all neat and ready to use?

Am interested to find out what you all do!

Thanks!

I fondle it, gaze at it lovingly, find fabric to go with it, take pictures to show my friends the wonderful new fabric, occasionally I actually use, but usually it goes into my stash.. I will take it out once in a while and smile at it, trying to remember just what in the heck I was planning to do with it!

I wash it, press it, fold it, and put it on the shelf.

Pretty much this is me too. I don't pre wash it or trim it, I just fold it onto comic boards and put it in my stash. Unless I have a project planned and want to start it right away, in which case I starch and press it to get ready for cutting.

Cari

I wash it first, to get the excess chemicals out. Then I press it and either fold it around a comic book board (if it's a yard or less), or 'ruler fold' it if it's longer than 1 yard. Then I store it on the shelf.

Or maybe I leave it out on my work table for a while and see what else goes with it.

I may 'pet' it and admire it for a while before it goes on the shelf.

After much admiring, I normally fold mine and store in my stash cupboard but I recently decided on a different approach. I like to pre-wash my fabrics to avoid shrinkage problems once the quilt is complete and I sometimes get confused over which fabrics have been washed and which haven't. So my new plan of action is to pre-wash all my fabrics before folding and storing. I don't do any triming because when I use my fabrics, I trim anyway to square them off and having to repeat this process (due to storage creases, etc) would only waste fabric. P.S. I do remove the threads that result from washing though.

I rarely buy fabric without a plan in mind. So mine goes into a bag or box (I like the bakery boxes from Safeway that 9 muffins come in) where I can add to it until I have everything I need for the project. Then it sits on my project shelf until I'm ready to start. I don't prewash or starch.

I wash it, iron, and cut it out and sew it up. I don't buy much fabric without a plan to use it and I try to be ready to use it and not just sit it on the shelf. I try to keep a small stash. I don't have room but that being said I do have some fabric pieces hanging in the closet calling to be used.

I wash, iron and fold until I decide on a project.

I wash it, take it out of the dryer promptly, fold it and add it to my stash. I don't iron or starch it until I'm ready to use it.