I have a related question, am new to this board and don't have permission to start a new thread, so hopefully replying to this is how I am supposed to ask a question. Thanks!
QUESTION:
I am relatively new to quilting and have heard conflicting advice on pre-washing fabrics. I was taught by my grandmother and aunt to pre-wash, but when visiting a quilt shop and discussing pre-washing fabrics with a friend, the owner of the shop overheard the conversation and told me that pre-washing fabrics is an antiquated technique and that it's completely unnecessary with today's fabrics. I mentioned that people often use fabrics from large stashes that may have been purchased at various times, even different decades, but she still asserted that it wasn't necessary. I just finished piecing a quilt made mostly of batiks and dark solids (all cotton, recently purchased), which I did not pre-wash, and now am coming across a lot of blogs that say pre-washing is essentially a must. Now that I have my top pieced, is there anything I can do to minimize bleeding once the quilt is finished (soak in a tub perhaps)? I am less concerned with shrinkage, because I like that look, but that may even become an issue. The quilt is a gift that is intended to be used with frequency. If I finish the project without any sort of washing now that it's pieced, is my recipient going to have a mess on their hands or come out with a completely different quilt once washed?
Thanks for any advice you have!
Examples of what I'm reading online:
- For: "It prevents vibrant dyes from spreading onto other fabric. Some bright colors, like reds and purples, can run and bleed when they are washed. This can be very devastating if it happens to a finished quilt."
- Against: "With today’s quality fabrics and dye, bleeding is not much of an issue. Most manufacturers realize that a vast amount of quilters do not prewash, so they ensure that the dyes are set completely."