Pam S

I'm about to begin a modern quilt with a whole lot of white so I have 8 yards of white Kona. I usually prewash all my fabrics but the thought of washing and ironing all that fabric at once... I don't usually worry so much about ironing large pieces of fabric when they're prints because, if I'm not absolutely perfect, I can usually get it smoothed out enough. Or, if it's a backing, rolling it on the LA will smooth out minor wrinkles. But every little wrinkle is going to show on white solid and make it harder to cut pieces accurately.
Can I get away with not prewashing Kona?

crafty pat

I always buy a lot at once and wash right away. I have never measured it as I always buy more than I need. But I don't think it shrinks much if any that I can tell.

charlottequilts

I had that problem once with white stars and ended up switching to another white, southern belle. I'll bet the people that starch will say that it's easier to smooth those pesky lines out doing that. It will be interesting to see.

hugs,
Charlotte

Jeanne S

I use lots of Kona white, usually buy it by the bolt. I usually preWash as I too make mostly modern quilts and want to minimize the after wash crinkling in my finished quilt. I cut the solid white in pieces of 2-3 yards so I am not working with a larger piece at any one time--makes it easier to iron and manage when cutting.

ckcowl

There are a lot of quilters who never prewash anything. And, make fabulous, successful quilts. And, there are people who prewash every itty bitty scrap of fabric. In the end, only you will know what you chose to do.

Pennyhal

Look on the end label. It usually tells you there what the shrinkage is.

butter14562

I just made cafe curtains solid brown fabric, not Knoa brand.. Fabric was from Jo-Ann, the quilters cotton, and it was a nice cotton. Instead of washing it in one big piece like I always do, was about 7 yards. I cut it close to my length for each panel, I had four. Squared each one, leaving extra. When I went to re iron and straighten selvedges, they were really off (uneven on each end by a lot ) I'd say I lost a inch from shrinkage,and a lot more by cutting first.I used Knoa brand for a bed ruffle.And I'd still feel safe saying shrinkage one or two inches.

ghostrider

If I never again prewashed anything else, I would still prewash all Kona Solids. Kona is a 60x60 weave cotton broadcloth, a less dense weave than regular quilting cottons. It does shrink, but more importantly the hand changes with prewashing. The weave tightens up and it becomes softer. Prewashing also greatly reduces the fraying with Kona, again because of the tightening up of the weave.

If you want to avoid ironing an 8 yard length of fabric and aren't planning to cut anything longer than a side border, then consider subdividing your yardage before washing it and wash it on a gentle cycle to reduce any wrinkling. Prewashed Kona, including white Kona, irons flat (even without starch) and is not prone to inaccurate cutting. Will you be prewashing the rest of the fabrics in this quilt? That, too, may influence your decision about the Kona white.

ManiacQuilter2

I don't pre-wash my fabric because I buy in such large quality so I don't know who much it will shrink. Be careful to buy RK Kona cotton from a quilt store and NOT a chain store. You will be getting 2nd quality fabric if you do that. RK sells the fabric that is NOT good enough for quilt stores selling it to jobbers who then sell it to the chain stores. If it is NOT on an official RK label at the end of the bolt, it is 2nd quality fabric.

bearisgray

I have washed up over ten yard lengths of fabtic in my washer. And dried it in my dryer. The thing about drying - check every 10-15 minutes or so to see if it has wadded up. If so, take it out, unbunch it and dry kt some more. Remove it from the dryer when it is "just dry" - it comes out fairly smooth. I hand smmoth it. I press the fabric right before cutting it.

This works for about 95% of the fabrics I have washed.

I do not like to cut the fabrics into shorter lengths before I know what I want to do with it.

Not that much harder than handling king sized bed sheets.