Mdegenhart

I use a lot of bright white in my quilts. I don't buy charms. I prewash everything but jellyrolls, which I don't buy many of either. I don't want bleeding fabrics staining my quilts.

Stevensgirl

Count me in the pre-wash club...I prewash everything, but I know there are plenty of people that do not. I think it is probably more important to be consistent with which ever method you prefer.

mountainwoman

I pre-wash yardage; I do not pre-wash pre-cuts, in part because manufacturers do not recommend it and because I think it would make a tangled mess.

Bluelady

And it is easier to cut and sew if not pre-washed.. and it takes a lot time

GrammieJan

I do not prewash, mainly because I use mostly precuts (due to a badly twisted spine) and the instructions that come with a lot of them say do not prewash, the risk of having them get all ravelly and threads hanging loose is something I cannot tolerate. I do occasionally wash a bigger piece of fabric on the gentle setting and iron them.

Art4me

Prewasher here because the chemicals really do take my breath away! Recently, fabric I ordered on-line arrived smelling so strong that I couldn't be in the same room with them until they were washed. I have COPD but most fabric doesn't bother this much. I have also had fabric bleed. I bought a beautiful red print to make a quilt for my oldest DGD but it was still bleeding after 5 washings and I will never trust it to be used in a quilt.

Marilyn

Jeanette Frantz

Marilyn,

There are products out there which will "set" the dyes in your fabric. In the past year or so, I completed a log cabin quilt top (a very large one) and I treated every one of the reds. Reds are notorious for bleeding, but I treated and then tested the fabrics after the treatment -- no bleeding. As a relative newbie, I'm thankful to have discovered what I used -- now my color choices won't be governed by the possibilities of bleeding fabric. I won't name the product I used here -- because it could be construed as promoting a product on the forum, and I won't do that!

By the way, I definitely prewash everything that comes in this house. I have adult onset asthma, and I just won't risk working with unwashed fabrics.

mountainwoman

Wow, what a stash!

cathyvv

I pre wash/dry most fabrics before they get into my home. Allergies, chemical sensitivities lead to illness otherwise. Some fabrics MUST be pro-washed - flannel, for example. That also lets me know if there were any problems with dye running.

My quilts still crinkle just fine.

cathyvv

Press it as you need it instead of right after you launder it. It's not a big job then.