jamco

I just started quilting and have pieced 7 quilt tops, I did not prewash the fabric as I did not know I should. I have 3 quilts that I have cut out but have not sewn together yet. Can I prewash these pieces before I sew them together? will they fray too much?

davis2se

Better not wash the already cut pieces - they would most likely fray a lot, and even if they don't the pieces will shrink and your measurements would be way off. If you decide in the future to pre-wash your fabric do so before you cut any of the pieces.

bearisgray

You could wash the pieces, iron them, and if necessary, recut them for something else.

Depends on what you are willing to do.

My feeling about shrinkage - I would rather deal with it before sewing an item than after.

DogHouseMom

Pre-washing isn't a must. Lots of people don't pre-wash. It's a personal choice and there are lots of reasons to pre-wash, and lots of reasons not to. There is no right or wrong way (although I think most will agree that pre-washing flannel is a must ... but I digress).

I happen to be a dedicated pre-washer. BUT I wash yardage as soon as I bring it home. If I bring home fat quarters I wash those in the kitchen sink by hand then machine dry.

I would not pre-wash anything smaller than a fat quarter, and I would definitely NOT pre-wash anything I've already cut for a quilt. The risk of it shrinking unevenly (fabric shrinks more along the WOF than it does along the LOF) is too great, as well as the risk of it being skewed on the bias.

I would also not prewash the finished quilt tops ... for the same reasons. If it's square now, it may not be when you've washed it.

If you are worried about fabrics bleeding you can use one of two products in the wash: Retayne will retain the dyes and "set" them so they don't bleed. Synthrapol is another product that I use along with Color Catchers and these two products are designed to allow the fabric to bleed but the Synthrapol will hold the dye in suspension and the Color Catchers will pick up the dye. I will then continue to wash with clean Color Catchers until the Color Catchers come out without any dye on them.

joe'smom

You can't wash the pieces and then use them for what you had planned, because they will shrink and will no longer be the right size. For this time, I would say, go ahead and use them unwashed. Many people quilt successfully without prewashing. Be sure to put a color catcher in the water when you wash the quilt after quilting.

PaperPrincess

I am also a dedicated pre-washer, but I think the quilting world is divided 50-50, so you are in good company! A rule of thumb is either pre wash everything or nothing. The non-prewashers say that if there's enough quilting, the top is stabilized and any shrinkage won't be noticeable.
Do not wash the cut pieces, they will not be usable for your project.
I would totally complete one of your 3 quilts (piece top, sandwich, quilt and bind), then wash. Then you can decide which camp you will go with.
The only exception is flannel. That you probably should always wash twice, it can continue to shrink.

Prism99

I don't pre-wash and have not had any problems. Once a top has been quilted to a batting, the batting takes control of shrinkage and does not allow fabrics to shrink more than the batting can shrink. The only limitation you have is that you probably do not want to tie these quilt tops. Ties do not provide enough contact to make the 3 layers as 1.

Jeanne S

I would not risk washing cut pieces or finished tops due to fraying and distortion of cut pieces. Just finish those quilts and prewash uncut yardage in the future if you want to. I selectively prewash--just very dark fabrics and reds in case they might bleed. Otherwise just cut and see new fabrics as is. But I don't have any allergies to the fabrics or sizing chemicals either.

Boston1954

You might wash anything that you buy in the future, but in my mind then it could not be used with older pieces that have not. The little pieces would probably fray a lot so you should wait until it's done.

newbee3

I DO NOT WASH my fabrics yours should be fine