Question for those of you who prewash fabric
10-10-2016, 06:05 AM
#21
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,467
I cannot imagine washing fabric in the bath tub. Of course, I have a bad back, so it would be impossible for me. Even before the back issues, I serge the cut ends of the fabric (for yardage) and wash it in warm to hot water, a little soap (not much) and dry it in the dryer. I iron all of the fabric at one time. I've had problems with several pieces of fairly expensive fabric, but especially the reds. The first time I encountered the "bleeding" problem was in 2010. I was making a whole-cloth embroidered quilt with red borders. The red fabric bled rivers, even after I washed it. I've tried all of the home remedies, vinegar, epsom salts, etc., and none of that worked. The reason for that is that the dyes used today by fabric manufacturers is NOT organic, it's totally chemical; therefore, the organic remedies just don't work. Also, another reason for pre-washing everything is shrinkage. Cotton fabric will shrink. Obviously the more expensive fabrics should shrink less, but if fabric is going to bleed or shrink, I'd prefer that those things be brought to light BEFORE I start cutting out a quilt. Also, discretion is the better part of valor, so when I wash a quilt, or a recipient of one of my quilts does so, I use and advise my quilt recipients to use Color Catchers. If I have a fabric that bleeds, I treat it with a laundry treatment which is a dye fixative which almost always works. Even after the fabric has been treated, I test it to make sure it no longer bleeds. If it does, I don't use it. I cannot afford to have a quilt be ruined by a bleeding fabric. We all put too much time planning, and expense in making a quilt to have that quilt ruined by a bleeding fabric. I know that treating a fabric that bleeds is a lot of work, but I'd rather spend that time and effort on treating the fabric, than spend it making something that might be ruined in this manner. I wash everything because I want the shrinkage issue resolved before rather than after I've done all that work. JMHO!
I have had at least one bleeder from every color family.
10-10-2016, 07:11 AM
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 1,460
I like to wash when I bring it home as there are many chemicals in it especially formaldehyde, I have a rotary cutter with a pinking blade and to trim the edges prevents lots of fraying I do use the washer gentle cycle --hot then hot dryer I remove from dryer immediately fold and do nothing else until I am ready to use it I have not washed anything smaller than charm packs but anything from quarter yard down I hand wash and air dry
10-10-2016, 08:25 AM
#24
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: northeast NE
Posts: 1,072
I prewash all the fabrics I'm using for a quilt altogether in a RETAYNE hot water wash and then put in the dryer, as per instructions on the bottle. I've always had good results with no problems of fabric bleeding later on. I measure before and after washing & drying and note shrinkage differences in each piece. Even the same complete line of fabric will shrink differently and I don't want the 'pucker' look after laundering. It's just a routine for me.
10-10-2016, 09:37 AM
#25
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: California, USA
Posts: 1,318
Before washing, I will run a zig-zag on each cut end of the fabric so that you don't get all of those strings tangling up the fabric.
The main point about "pre-washing" is to get the fabric wet and into a hot dryer. It is the heat that makes it shrink. Having said that, I will wash with a gentle cycle, in hot water and a little bit of soap (because that is often when the fabric will bleed with soap) and the darker the fabric the more color catchers I will put in the wash (2-3 if the fabric is really dark like black).
I then put it in a hot dryer and pull it out as soon as it is dried.
I fold it the length of the fabric in half and then in half again, and then make the first fold down about 12 inches and keep folding over itself until is completely folded up. I like to do it this way, as you can unfold what you need without having to unfold the whole role of fabric each time. Put another way, if you have 3 yards of fabric, but you only need 1 yard, I just unroll one yard, cut it and the fabric that is left is still folded up. Before I started doing it this way, I would have to unfold the fabric and then just leave a big pile of fabric that I need to refold when the project was done. With a big project I would have a haystack to refold.
The main point about "pre-washing" is to get the fabric wet and into a hot dryer. It is the heat that makes it shrink. Having said that, I will wash with a gentle cycle, in hot water and a little bit of soap (because that is often when the fabric will bleed with soap) and the darker the fabric the more color catchers I will put in the wash (2-3 if the fabric is really dark like black).
I then put it in a hot dryer and pull it out as soon as it is dried.
I fold it the length of the fabric in half and then in half again, and then make the first fold down about 12 inches and keep folding over itself until is completely folded up. I like to do it this way, as you can unfold what you need without having to unfold the whole role of fabric each time. Put another way, if you have 3 yards of fabric, but you only need 1 yard, I just unroll one yard, cut it and the fabric that is left is still folded up. Before I started doing it this way, I would have to unfold the fabric and then just leave a big pile of fabric that I need to refold when the project was done. With a big project I would have a haystack to refold.
10-10-2016, 11:26 AM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Beautiful Oregon
Posts: 320
I use the hand-wash cycle without detergent. If you don't use detergent you can just put the fabric through the rinse cycle. I make little cuts along the narrow strip and it works wonders for eliminating the shredding. I do all of this mainly for shrinkage -- I have written this many times here, so ladies bear with me once again -- the shrinkage occurs because of the pounding in a hot dryer. Not in the temperature of the water in the washer. I consider shrinkage a real enemy of a quilt. It pulls agains the threads and wears much faster. Of course for you ladies who make those beautiful quilts that will never be laundered, no need to pre-wash. Mine are used hard!
10-10-2016, 02:37 PM
#29
Junior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ridgecrest, CA
Posts: 227
I don't baby my fabrics. I figure that I have paid for quality and I expect it to hold up under laundering. When I bring home my fabric, I wash it just as I would my clothes. I toss it into the dryer on low heat and use the cool-down function. I DO use color catchers and I wash like colors together. I damped before I iron and have had no problems with wrinkling. Only then do I fold and store my fabrics.
10-11-2016, 03:15 AM
#30
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 10,703
I prewash everything before I store it. Like colors together, gentle cycle (reduces fraying), hot water (maximizes shrinking), no soap (not necessary), no dryer sheets (they interfere with the bonding ability of fusibles if I decide later to use them), and then just fold for storage. I don't iron until I'm ready to cut for a project.
I've used this system for over twenty years with no regrets at all.
I've used this system for over twenty years with no regrets at all.
peace
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