cabinfever

Ditto, Thanks OP!
I always pre-wash because of this and the fear of color-run. BTW, I picked up some of the "color-catcher" sheets on clearance @ Joann's yesterday for 75% off, used a $5 off $20 even on "sale & discounted items":-D I use them on darks & reds.

I have lately been using the "Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine" (useless IMHO for cutting accurate strips), & have found it to be fast, as it plugs into the wall & has the foot pedal. I wouldn't really buy it just for this, but since I waited too long to return it...let my girl scouts use it to pink some cloth projects & discovered it's usefulness for quickly pinking my fabric for pre-wash.

cabinfever

Do you use liquid starch or spray starch for big yardage? Haven't done this before, but would love to improve my accuracy with stiffer fabric while cutting & piecing.

meanmom

I never used to prewash because I was too lazy and often come home with fabric i want to use right now. One of the owners of a LQS told me she has her employees wear gloves when they unpack fabric and encourages them to wear glove whenever possible because of the chemicals the fabric is treated with. She said it is also treated with insecticides. She said the shipping containers it comes in from overseas were loaded with dead bugs. I have been prewashing ever since we had this conversation. GROSS!

Prism99

For yardage, I mix a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" this solution onto the fabric using a large wall painting brush (until fabric is saturated), then toss in the dryer and iron with steam. Some people remove from the dryer while still slightly damp, but I've had no problems with it being completely dry (my iron is a Rowenta that puts out plenty of steam). This is by far the easiest method I have found for starching yardage.

With a 1:1 solution, the fabric comes out with the stiffness of lightweight cardstock. Believe me, fabric does not stretch or distort with handling when it is this stiff! You can use a light starch solution if you like, but I have found this one is the best for backing fabrics and bias-cut binding strips. Works fine for piecing also. If you use this on flannel before it is cut for piecing, your piecing will be as accurate as non-flannel fabrics.

grammysharon

I always prewash my fabrics for this reason.

tlcquiltnut

When I pre wash my fabrics(yes fat quarters too) I put it on a short run cycle(if you have it) It is not dirty fabric just needs to be washed to get the dyes out and for shrinkage. It is a shame to go to all that work on a quilt and wash it then discover the dyes have run all over the lighter fabrics .....
BTW on fat quarters I often just hand wash them.....

dorsey64

I need to pre-wash due to allergies in some fabrics; preferably as the fabric comes in thru the utility room when I bring it home. Yes, sometimes it doesn't happen as life tends to get in the way.

cabinfever

I have found my expensive Maytag washer (it was $900) to be just awful on everything it washes; can't wait for it to die! I have to sort by color and weight or it will shred the lighter-weight stuff by catching on the little "agitator-like" ribs sticking out from the sides. I bought it to save energy & be a good water-conscious consumer...I will not buy one like it again. On the plus side, it does a good job of spinning a lot of water out of the clothes for faster drying. Bad= Maytags pics 1& 2.
My mother has a Kenmore top-loader, that is a high efficiency one that cost less than mine , can do all sizes of loads & is also gentle on the biggest quilts; has 6 settings for load volume & about 6 or 8 temp choice combos; I hope to get one like hers next opportunity mine breaks. This one has a low level agitator which gives tremendous more volume inside, than the older top-loaders. Pic 3= Kenmore top-loader drum. Remember how your clothes would get so twisted around that center post?

I think the key here is...don't buy a front-loader with large ribs inside that stick out very far. Perhaps not the top-load washer with a big agitator column either. If you have a great front-loader would love to know what brand & model you have.

suern3

[quote=patmas57]OTOH, I've begun my quilting journey with a couple of kits (because of fear of color selection), and the instructions for those definitely say DO NOT PRE-WASH, as the fabric pieces are cut either specifically to size, or the amounts provided would not be sufficient if they shrank. So, I accept that I will have shrinkage, and fortunately I like that puckery look. However, since the fabrics in the top are not pre-washed, I feel that I shouldn't pre-wash the backing fabrics either. Or the batting. Does that sound right to you experienced quilters?[/quote
In my first quilting class at LQS, the instructor said that she did not pre-wash LQS fabric, but if you do prewash you should wash all of the fabric in the quilt. I think you are right to follow instructions with kit. You are treating all fabric the same.

SewSewGal

I am just starting to quilt and I have always wahed my fabric unless it is fat 1/4, Jelly rolls, Charmes etc. I have only had my quilts professionaly quilted so i have never had to pre shrink the batting. How would you do this for a King size quilt.