Why isn't fabric really needle ready when we purchase it?
 

I consider fabric to be "needle ready" when I am reasonably sure that the fabric dyes will not run, bleed, or fade; and that there will be no more shrinkage or stretching of the fabric when it hits water (again).

Why isn't it?

Probably the same reason that they can't print a plaid straight on the grain ????

99% of fabric is now milled overseas and is shipped stateside in shipping containers. I am sure it needs to be treated to deter unwanted hitchhikers. I definitely have a sensitivity to chemicals so I prefer to not use it straight off the bolt. It doesn't take long before the aroma of whatever it has been treated with starts to make me physically ill, and then there are the posts here of people who have had skin reactions. But even in the days when fabric was milled in the US so possibly not treated with insecticides and sizings it was always best practice to prewash, at least that is what I was taught back in the 70's.
The nature of the machines that mill fabric tend to stretch and distort the fibers so when the machines roll it onto a bolt I am sure it is off grain and the fold may not necessarily be on the straight of grain. Prewashing helps to relax the cotton fibers and allow them to return to the state they were in prior to the machine distorting them. This again, was more important to garment manufacture than quilting but I think it is prudent even for quilting as it helps you achieve more accurate cuts when cutting LOF.
There are more reasons to prewash then just checking for bleeders for many of us. I have cited two.

Ok, now THAT was funny!

OMG - Me too - laughing much more than I would have thought!!!!!!!

Generally, manufacturers do only what's necessary, to make a large profit. If enough folks buy the product and put up with the inferior quality, that's the way it'll be produced. :(

Fabric is similar to any other washable product on the market. I would never wear new clothing, bedding etc. without prewashing to get out the chemicals, excess dyes and "junk" that are in them. Especially since as was stated by others, most of these products come from overseas and are not monitored. Who knows what's in them or on them! I would never throw new sheets, out of the package, on a bed and I would not do that with unwashed fabric in a quilt, either.

Are you expecting manufacturers to prewash fabric and keep all chemicals out of it? Then you need to only buy organic material and even then I would prewash for shrinkage.

How much are you willing to pay for your fabric? It's gonna cost a lot more to take those steps.

I don't wash a lot of the fabric I use- ever. Even after the quilt is done, if it isn't a blanket quilt, it might never get washed. If I slice it up to make a wreath, it never gets washed. If I make a bag out of it, I don't wash those either. Bleeding or shrinking has no baring on whether or not I can put a needle through it and sew.

[QUOTE=Candace;

Are you expecting manufacturers to prewash fabric and keep all chemicals out of it? [/QUOTE]

Perfect question. The reason it is not "needle ready" is because it would be very cost prohibitive! Seems obvious to me why fabric is not washed before we buy it. Imagine the added cost to the end user.

Actually - I was wondering how many of you consider the fabric you buy to be "needle ready" when you bring it home from the store.

I should have worded the question better.