bearisgray

A la Vicki Welsh, and Carolyn from my quilting group, I have started to soak all my fabrics in Hot water for at least a couple of hours before gently washing them. (Sorted by color - dark greens with dark greens, etc,; I will mix pale blues with pale greens - the basic "rule" - if the fabric is a bleeder - the bleed won't "injure" the other fabrics in the container )

Why?
Sometimes it takes a while for excess dye to release into the water - and if a fabric is problematic - I can see which one it is and treat it further
I feel the shrinkage takes place during the hot water bath
I do not like to agitate new fabric very long in the washing machine - that is where/when I think fabric loses that "new" look
The grain lines will "do their thing" - sometimes they will straighten out - sometimes they stubbornly insist on staying off-grain.

I then wash it gently with a mild detergent for a short time and dry it gently.

I also serge the raw edges before the fabric hits the water.
It prevents the loss of fabric from fraying - and also keeps the ends looking tidy.

So those are my fabric pre-washing steps - overcast the raw edges and soak in hot water - before getting to the "wash with mild detergent" stage.

Is it a bother to do this all before cutting the fabric straight from the store? A bit, but it has minimized a lot of aggravation down the road.

I would no more cut fabric without washing it first then dress for a fancy night out wihout taking a shower first..

But - to each his/her own way of dong things.

mkc

I serge the cut edges before washing as well. It makes a big difference in terms on strings/unraveling and tangling/wrinkling of the fabric pieces during laundering.

Onebyone

If a fabric bleeds in the first wash with a white piece of cotton in the load, I do not use it for a quilt. I don't rewash or spend anymore time with it. It's rare to have the newer fabrics bleed but some do.

Stitchnripper

I don't do any of that. The only time I was "burned" was when I used a piece of old fabric. I did soak a piece first, in hot water and seemed okay. Then it bled. I don't use old fabrics and I do use a color catcher in the final wash and haven't ever had a problem. I don't have any allergies, skin sensitivities, not worried about other people handling the fabric, etc. So far I am still healthy and until I have a reason, will carry on.

Jingle

I wash all new fabrics in cold water Tide and dry on low heat, I fold it with ruler and store until I am ready to cut it. I also use color catchers. After the quilt is complelely finished I wash again the same as above. Works for me.

rjwilder

I serge the raw edges and wash all my fabric in hot water. I dry it in a hot dryer, take it out smooth it and iron it. Then it gets put away on the shelf. Lots of boring work but it's worth it.

petthefabric

Soaking in hot water is new to me. Now, a little late, I wish I’d known…….

2 weeks ago = very recent………from LQS going out of business, purchased several wide backs, all dark values. Also purchased several fabrics of light values. At home, immediately proceeded to wash. Separated cool (blue, teal, grey & green) from warm (red, orange & purple). Straight from the wash, it was obvious some of the cool fabrics bled, a LOT. Immediately rinsed the light value fabric in bathtub. Lots of color was in the water, but, it was hopeless. Change of plans necessary. Very glad this happened before making quilt.

Just occurred to me, probably should rehash those backs.

Not had bleeding anything close in 20+ years. This was a huge surprise.

Local longarmers want wide backs torn (not cut) from bolt to be sure they’re on grain. Washing helps relax the grain.

Iceblossom

In some 40 years of quilting, I've only had bleeding issues once and it was from "reputable fabric from a quilt shop". I always prewash but didn't double check. This maroon fabric never stopped bleeding and turned a sophisticated blue, maroon, white and silver quilt into a not so sophisticated pink and blue...

I've had issues with dark batiks too. Typically 1-2 washes satisfies them but there is a lot of cast off. I like using black with batiks so it can catch the run off.

And then there was the bag of hand dyed fabrics I got from a thrift store. None of the dyes were set and I had a lot of opportunity to figure out how to fix dyes. It's harder when you don't know what dyes were used. It took a lot of effort and additives and then heat setting before I was satisfied. Only reason I stuck to it was my car was in the shop! Anyway, with problematic pieces a bit of regular Dawn dishwashing soap in the soak was a big help -- and relatively cheap and on hand!

Onebyone

I don't see the point in putting in all the time and money used to stop bleeding fabric after first wash. Like Iceblossom posted, use it with back or fabrics that will absorb the color.