Onebyone

Goodness. That is a good reason not to wash fabric. I do two loads a day, one of whites and one of colors. Plus some misc loads during the week. That would be over $140 a month. Our water bill isn't half that much per month for the whole house and we have a pool.

Boston1954

When I started quilting, I did not know a thing. I bought fabric and just started using it. Later on when I heard people talking about washing first, I still did not, because I had so many pieces cut.

Truthfully, I have never felt the need to wash something that is not yet dirty. I sometimes wash after the quilt is done, because by that time, they are covered in cat hair. :-)

mom-6

The only time I prewash is if I'm concerned about shrinkage or if it is old and musty. Otherwise I don't feel a need to.

tessagin

I throw some fabrics in with my other loads, like towels and knits. I have dark bath linen so no bleeds from the towels but fabric has bleed on towels. I have also handwashed fabric in hot water.

Snooze2978

I like my fabrics to have some body to them so leaving whatever type of sizing the fabric company put into it helps. I also use starch before cutting to help with the stretching out of shape while assembling. Then I use Elmer's Glue when attaching the binding and sometimes when I need to match seams so it will get washed once its all done anyway. I think in the past I have washed a backing if it was a solid black, navy or red due to possible bleeding. I use the color catcher sheets too to help with that problem.

Dolphyngyrl

I really find it tedious the prep before and after. Most of the time when I have done it I found the fabric really did not hardly shrink so found it a waste of my time so now I only do it if I plan to embroider or if the fabric smells. You can test for bleeding without washing an entire piece. For precuts they might shrink so much that they may be not the required size that you need or fray badly. Those are just a few reasons. Fabric has more body and is also easier to cut when not washed

tropit

I use a lot of scraps and they are way too small to throw into the washing machine. I'll only pre-wash larger pieces if I think that they might bleed. I always wash the quilt when it's done. I really like the crinkly look I get after I take it out of the dryer.

~ Cindy

blondeslave

I barely have time to sew let alone wash and iron all of my fabric. I would never get anything started let alone finished if I did this.

MarionsQuilts

Couple of reasons for me:

1 - way too lazy to wash, dry and iron all that fabric
2 - never had a problem with it shrinking
3 - it's going to get full of thread, fur, feathers, coffee (once) while I'm sewing, so why bother LOL
4 - I ALWAYS wash and dry every quilt once I have completed it. And I don't put it on delicate ... I put it in the machine as if a "non-quilting normal" person would ... regular load, and 30 minutes in the dryer. If it falls apart, it wasn't meant to be LOL I've never had a problem with any of them.

Tartan

My fabric yardage is on mini bolts and is not washed. I wash yardage before I begin a project if it is for a child or if I suspect a bleeder. I do wash my finished quilts before giving though.