cjomomma

To be honest I love the look that quilts get when they shrink in the wash. theres just something about it that appeals to me.

Furza Flyin

I wash. I put the smaller pieces in small zippered laundry bag to wash and dry. They dont seem to fray as much.

irishrose

I just checked and discovered the piece that shrunk when pressed was a Robert Kaufman. Interesting.

Cindy2

I'm with you-even wall hangings look good when they are all wrinkled like the wonderful vintage quilts of old.

Greenheron

Wash! And, I don't know if 'crocking' is a problem anymore but when I was a beginner, sometimes colors would rub off on another while dry. I haven't noticed this these days.

Greenheron

Oh, try soaking pieces for awhile without agitating, remove from the machine, add water and rinse the same way. The less agitation, the fewer frays. Minimizing or eliminating the spin cycle helps avoid wrinkles. I have also washed smaller pieces in the kitchen sink, gently moving by hand. Let the waters drain and gently press by hand to remove excess water.

Cindy2

I've never heard of crocking before and it's never been a problem for me. Interesting. I do have some vintage, antique quilts that I'll drag out and see what is going on with them, as one is a red star "freedom" quilt done with turkey red fabrics. If anything will crock, it might be this quilt. I do have some indigo blue log cabin quilts too that might cause a problem. I don't have them boxed or wrapped, just on a shelf in a closet, out of the sunlight, but the fabrics are touching each other.

happymrs

I was fqs in the fine washables net bags, but haven't been washing charms. I just bought 3 packs of the CT batik ones, & am debating about washing them? Maybe wait till I order a few more of them, then use them all in the same small quilt, that should work, right, lol...I always prewash any other larger fabric pieces I buy, don't want to worry about shrinking or fading, down the line, & ruining a quilt piece.

19angel52

FQ size and above - I used to always wash. Finally narrowed it down to the problem - RED and batiks. Anything now with red I soak in water to see if it will run...and same with batiks. No color run, no further washing - just hang up to dry. Works for me :lol:

chatonne40

Well thank you very much everybody for your input. I now have a better idea of what I should do :-)