alottafabrics

I know a lot of people use special quilting laundry soap for washing their quilts, but I wash with normal everyday laundry detergent ecause that is what the recipient of the quilt is actually going to do with it.

Miss Mona

Thank you, thank you. I only prewash once in a while and have seldom had a problem either. I also am too lazy to wash everything.

Crlyn

I've always washed any fabric that I sew with, though I seem to do differently to everyone else.

All I do is soak in the wash tub with warm water for maybe 1/2 hour, no soap or anything else, then just dry in the shade.

I've always been told why wash when it's not dirty, just soak in water for shrinkage!

FroggyinTexas

Once upon a time I laundered every piece of fabric before I put it away. No matter what I paid for it, it raveled and all those loose threads drove me wild. So, I started putting the fabric away as soon as I got home and never had any trouble at all, no matter what I paid for it or where I got it.

I made a quilt for wounded soldiers two or three years ago and the requirement was that the finished quilt had to be laundered.
No problem with the red, white and blue fabric.

Do whatever you feel comfortable with and have time for. froggyintexas

patdesign

I wash and here is one of the reasons why. Yesterday I used a coupon to purchase 10 yds of perma press all cotton muslin, great dealas it came to $1.00 per yard, however the formaldehyde smell was so strong I had to wash before using, didn't want to since I didn't want to cut the 10 yds, but it was too much to handle later after washing and drying, but the odor just about drove me out of my sewing room.

suern3

Ditto this for me.

MsSewer

I always pre-wash. I put it in a small laundry with a Color Catcher and then just throw th whole bag in the dryer. I am surprised all with all the dyes in the color catcher. I also heard (I think on this board) that there are chemicals that manufacturers add to fabrics such as fornaldehyde and I don't want that in my quilts. It means I have to iron it but I think it's worth it.

jitkaau

I don't wash my fabric until the quilt is finished ( sometimes not even then, if it goes on a wall). That way, the batting and material are easily washed together. Less fuss, less hassle, less work in my opinion. I have never had a problem with bleeding of fabric, but don't usually buy the stuff that I think might do it.

jitkaau

Hope your skin did not suffer from the handling of material like that. I always make sure new clothes (made in China) are washed for that reason.

G'ma Kay

This is me, too. Although I don't use much laundry soap, just a dab to get the chemicals out of the fabric. I don't iron it until I'm ready to cut.