Butters2013

I don't prewash. Just too lazy to, so far no problems.

maminstl

I also do not prewash unless I think there is a reason to. Some fabric is so stiff off the bolt that I might just to get out all the sizing or whatever it is in there. I actually won't buy fabric that doesn't feel nice, but I have a sewing friend who will buy anything, so her stuff will often be washed before I will use it (or not). We pool all of our fabric at my house, but her taste in fabric is so far from mine that it is rare that I want to use hers anyway.

joe'smom

I believe crinkling has more to do with the batting shrinking than with the fabric shrinking. I prefer a non-crinkled quilt, but even with pre-washing fabric and batting, and air drying, I still get a significant amount of crinkling.

I pre-wash for the reasons mentioned, and because fabric shrinks unevenly, so I'd rather the shrinking occur before the fabric is stitched.

Sewnoma

I prewash, almost always.

I don't prewash any pre-cuts, that's a recipe for disaster.
I don't prewash fabric that I'm going to be cutting into for a stack & whack, it's too hard to line everything up after washing.
Sometimes when I'm in a huge hurry, I won't pre-wash yardage - but I always feel it's very risky and don't like doing it that way.
I also don't like the way unwashed fabric feels.

But by and large, I'm a pre-washer. I want to make sure the fabric behaves, but more than that is the fact that I want to remove as many chemicals from my environment as I can. I handle fabric a lot as I'm sewing it, so I want to get rid of all the pesticides and sizing and who knows what else it's been treated with on it's long journey from the cotton field to my sewing room!

I try to pull the fabric from the dryer when it's still just a little bit damp and drape it on a drying rack to let it completely dry - that makes a big difference with wrinkles. Then I wrap it on comic book boards into little mini-bolts for storage. It is a little bit of work, and I often end up with a small mountain of fabric waiting to be "processed" after splurging at an expo or while on vacation, but that's a GOOD problem to have!

Honestly the hardest part of the whole process is getting it nicely folded on-grain lengthwise, but I've gotten really good at wrestling big hunks of fabric by myself. Practice makes perfect!

Jordan

I always pre-wash my fabric mainly because I come thru the laundry room from the garage and just drop the fabric in a basket to be washed. I feel it is softer and if there is going to be any bleeding of any fabric it will be done before I start my project. I always separate my fabric darks (deep reds and dark blues) from the lighter colors.

klswift

This is a 'discussion' that will continue thru the ages - to wash or not to wash. I am a firm believer in it is your choice! The only thing I would caution you about is that if one of your fabrics has been prewashed, then you should probably wash the others. If you prefer the more puckered look, then you should not prewash to allow for puckering.

DeltaMS

I wash mine as soon as I buy it. As for ironing...I find that I don't mind doing that. Just don't asked me to iron a shirt! If I do it as I buy it, I don't end up with a lot of washing and ironing to do. It is ready to pull off the shelf and use.

Wanabee Quiltin

I never pre-wash. If a fabric looks strange to me (not going to explain strange), I cut a smidge off the corner and wet it, lay it on a white paper towel to see if it bleeds. I used to wash everything until I got a huge amount of yardage on sale and after that, I stopped. My quilts are simple, no heirloom quilts from me.

Chem

Friends I had no idea that there was so much debate. As a garment sewist I had it it in my mind ( for some inexplicable reason) that quilters didn't prewash. Now I know better!

I have a feeling that I'm going to pre wash my yardage when it gets here... it's what I'm used to and I really hate the smell of the treatments that are put onto fabrics. Also I like to have my fabric fresh and clean for my precious Juki lol! 6

Damkina

I didn't when I first started quilting, but now I would definitely advise washing everything. This is because I made an appliqué quilt with red on it, and I'm terrified of it bleeding if I wash it. Lesson learnt.