bearisgray

I have washed hundredes - maybe thousands - of pieces of fabric before cutting them.

I measured the pieces before and after washing - just to see how much shrinkage there might be. Also to see if those that said "it does not matter" were right.

Almost all of them shrank "some" - usually in only one direction.

A couple of the pieces really caught my attention - Michael Miller black - from three or four different bolts purchased at different times - shrank over two inches in width.

Some Roc-Lon muslin - that the label on the end of the bolt said "preshrunk" - shrank drastically - don't remember the exact numbers, but it was over 5 ipercent.

Also, the Legacy Muslin from JoAnns (which feels wonderful) - shrinks a lot lengthwise. I was making curtains/drapes out of it, and I was planning on four-inch hems. I ended up with three inch hems because there was over two inches of shrinkage on an 84 inch cut of fabric.

I noticed she only used one fabric for her experiement.

My Mom had given me some 5 inch charms - I washed them - one of them ended up being only 4.5 inches by 5 inches.

Washing - or steaming - or starching - is another step before cutting the fabric. To me, it's worth it I prefer a flatter look, and I like my blocks to end up being close to the size I expect them to be.

I am a bit surprised that it took the video maker 30 years to figure it out.

(I have also started to soak new fabrics in hot water for at least three hours before gently washing them in cool to warm water. I feel that it is the agitation of washing in a machine that makes washed fabric look :"used/old". And also overcrowinding the pieces in a dryer.)

I have also noticed shrinkage in fabrics that I line dried.These were soaked in hot water before being washed in cold water.

So - I will have to admit that maybe three pieces did not shrink at all. In fact, one even grew a little bit.

I do get on my soapbox here. but it still totally puzzles me why people insist there is no change when there is.

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