queenpola

Hello and welcome to the board! I do always wash my fabrics, the fact that I live in Argentina, you know, the handling on shipping until the fabrics reach my hands....I always wash.
There's no silly questions, I'm an absolute beginner too, and everybody has been there once.
Have fun, this board with its people is WONDERFUL :D

irishrose

I always wash any fabric that will be washed in regular use such as a quilt. I'd rather not wash fabrics for wall hangings and maybe Christmas tree skirts. Most fabrics, especially cottons, shrink and not all shrink at the same rate. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't iron it before I put it away. Who knows how long it's going to be there and I don't want to iron it twice.

Fabric has sizing and it can slightly twisted when put on the bolt. Washing addresses both of these issues.

bearisgray

You will still have to end up deciding for yourself whether or not to prewash your fabrics before cutting.

You won't even get a "majority vote" on this one.

I think everything that is prewashable that goes into an item should be washed before it is cut. (I've measured "before and after" - and I think it's worth the effort.)

There are others that say they see absolutely no reason to bother.

(Of course, there are also people that saw no reason to use a seat belt or use birth control -MOST of the time they were fine - -- )

cjomomma

I only wash flannels and fabric I buy at yard sales and thrift shops. You never know what is in someones home.

joan_quilts

I just got into the habit of washing my fabric. I kind of feel like it is "dirty" or soemthing if I don't prewash it. Kind of like new clothes, I would never ever wear anything that wasn't prewashed.

When I get home with new fabric, it gives me a reason to wash clothes because I got something I like to wash, fold and put away! LOL

janb

I have been washing new cotton fabric, but I am starting a new quilt and think I will not wash the fabric for the top. Considering this.

Corry

I used to NOT WASH my fabrics but when I saw the thread on this forum for the poor lady that made the beautiful quilt for her Mom and she washed it and the backing fabric bled all over the quilt and she had washed the fabric prior. I am washing all mine and taking care that it will not bleed. I just washed some black fabric I am going to use in a border of my horse quilt. I used color catchers and they were very gray dark looking so I washed the fabric again and got 3 more very gray looking color catchers. So I washed again and 2 more color catchers and put two or three scraps of the white fabric I used in the quilt. All came out well.....no bleeding on the white fabric. So at least I feel like I know what is going to happen when I do wash my quilt. NOTHING, at least no bleeding...lol.

asmmauer

I always preshrink my fabric and set the dye ,use to work for So Fro Fabrics and was told cotton will shrink 1 inch per yard and I think the cotton fabric 20 years ago was probably average grade cotton flannels may shrink a little more not sure .Hope this helps.

Annaquilts

I used to always wash when I got it home but now I only was what I buy used. My stack is mixed and soemtimes I use it mixed other times I was it all before I sew it together. Lately I have been going for that crinkled look and feel so not as much washing. I wash more because I am concerned about unwashed fabric bothering my skin since I am very sensative to things.

mpspeedy

I wash everything I am going to use in a Linus quilt. When it comes to my personal use it depends on the color and how the quilt will be used. If it is for a wallhanging I don't usually bother. It is a good idea to wash flannel it does usually shrink.