To wash or not to wash- that is the question
 

Hey guys.

I'm making a black and white quilt. The sash (solid black) and border (black on black) are going to be black, while the main blocks will be white, with some silver and black.

Should I wash the blacks before I start cutting my peices? I'm only worried about the black bleeding into the white and causing discoloration after the quilt is given and the person washes it.

I am a believer in pre-washing, every thing every time. I don't mind washing smaller pieces but usually cut it off around 10" square. Long skinny pieces like jelly roll strips or old style 8th yards are the worst about putting in the wash and so I usually don't buy the precuts. I wash with like colors from my own laundry and use color catchers to see if I should examine things with more care.

Having said that, I typically don't have many problems with blacks bleeding and so deliberately use it with batiks so it can absorb any cast off from them. Recently I did buy a black solid that was not my standard Kona and I was rather unsettled by the amount of dye that was cast off by the first wash, but it didn't continue to wash out.

I don't pre-wash except for red, black, navy, colors like that.

I wash everything that is reasonably washable before cutting it.

In fact,I soak cottons in hot water for a couple of hours before washing them (gently).

Test the fabric before you cut it by taking a white kitchen towel, getting it damp, and rubbing it on the suspect fabric. If you get any kind of dye on the towel, it will bleed.

You can also dip an end of your fabric into a white coffee cup filled with boiling water. A bad dye will instantly turn it into something that looks like egg dye. Some take longer to release, but trust me -- you know a bad dye when you find one!

Keep in mind you should treat all the fabrics the same for the quilt. Wash all or wash none to make sure any shrinkage is the same.

I prewash everything and starch before cutting. Just makes piecing so much easier. Broke my own rule recently and didn’t prewash a black solid that was destined for background. Never again.

I would say yes....and I would wash the blacks separate from each other and use color catchers so if one transfers the color, you will know which one it is.....and because I washed the blacks, I would also wash the other fabrics too.....I have had blacks and reds transfer color...one batik, I washed three times and each time it just kept on giving up that color....I finally sold it at yard sale with a big tag on it that clearly stated "not colorfast" I was tired of dealing with it....six yards...from a quilt shop

What size is the quilt?

There is another worry....shrinkage.

A friend is disappointed as the quilt had about 6-7 inches of shrinkage after the first wash.