Washing Fabric

[bairdmtn]

I do not wash fabrics before construction because I like the puckered antique look that a finished quilt gets after it is washed!
I haven't had any fading or fabric bleedover problems (knock on wood) so far by doing this! I just really like the look of the quilt after washing!

Mary Jo

[knitnoid]

Until the last 18 months or so, I washed everything - even the fabric from BOM kits. Now, I wash yardage & FQs -- except my 1930s and for some unknown reason I haven't washed my cat FQs. Go figure.

I toss a Shout color catcher into the wash with my fabric -- and completed quilt.

I too like the antique puckered look, but I seem to get it even if I pre-wash my fabrics. I use warm & natural and I think it shrinks some.

[1quiltinnana]

I wash all my fabrics. I use Retayne...works great! I iron them and cut selvages off before I cut out the quilt pieces. I love the freshly washed fabric to work with and it removes the sizing, chemicals, etc.

[sewbug]

I spend enough time doing laundry I don't need to add more to do. I test a small patch of deep or bright colored fabric in hot water to test for bleeding before I use it. If it bleeds I take it back to the store if possible. I will wash muslin if I'm using it in a project.

[cindyg]

Chrissy - I give my fabric a vinegar bath to set the colors, then wash them, dry them in the dryer, and I starch and iron them to put the crispness back in just before I cut the fabric. I use Best Press starch alternative - it smells so good.

[cindyg]

I copied the following from "The Quilt Show" w/Alex Anderson. She said:
Help! My Fabric Is Bleeding!
I was recently working with some rather "aged" fabric from my stash. (OK, admittedly it was at least ten years old.) The fabric had not been washed since it was bought as an entire bolt. I knew that it could be cut and washed as needed. Usually this means throwing the fabric in the washing machine on cold. This time, however, the project called for just a 1/2-yard piece. No sense wasting all that water in the washing machine, right? Why not just to hand wash it in the sink?

The fabric was a lovely shade of purple. (Remember the color of that grape gum from the 70s? Oops, we're dating ourselves!) In went the water with a bit of soap. Lots of bubbles appeared and then I added the fabric. Gasp!!! The water and soap bubbles turned a startling shade of hot pink! Why did this happen? It was COLD water! It took washing the fabric two more times just to make sure the color had stopped running...and I learned an all-important lesson.

There are two camps on pre-washing fabric for quilting. There are those who do and those who don't, and I don't want to ruffle any feathers. This is just to alert you to the potential hazards of using unwashed fabric to make a quilt that you plan to wash in the future.

Let's be honest: many of us have fabric that's been in our stash for a LONG time. Maybe it's a hand-dyed or a commercial fabric that you finally have decided to use in your next masterpiece, and you can't remember if you've washed it. Ask yourself this: Will the quilt be washed once it is completed, or will it be displayed as art on the wall, never to see the dark interior drum of a washing machine? Mary Fisher (Episode 108) told Alex that she doesn't wash the fabrics for her quilts--but then she doesn't wash her quilts since they have all sorts of embellishments that wouldn't hold up to washing.

If you plan to wash your finished quilt, I would like to suggest a few options to keep your colors from "mingling."

1. Pre-wash similarly colored fabrics together in cold water.

2. If in doubt about color bleeding, add a bit of Synthrapol. Synthrapol removes excess dye and keeps it suspended in the water so that the color does not gravitate back to the fabric.

3. If you are still uncertain, wash the fabric once more with Retayne. This product sets the color and keeps it from bleeding.

You should be able to find Synthrapol and Retayne in most quilt stores or online. If you have other remedies for bleeding color, we would love to hear them. Share your tips through the Forum so we all can avoid a potential mishap.

[AnneinSC]

Here's another thought... aside from dark colors bleeding, or any others just shrinking, there's a possibility of an on grain problem. I have used charm squares, without washing, for my tote bags, but since I was using 2 identical packs for a baby quilt, I decided to pre-wash the charms, safety pinned together in groups of 6-7 at a corner along with the fabric for the borders and backing. I didn't put them in the dryer, but spread them out on a towel to partially dry before ironing. I was so surprised to see that these charms were obviously not square-cut on grain, and after relaxing in the wash, they were distorted to almost diamond shaped!! These were Moda charms, the Strawberry Lemon group. I had to square them up, to barely 4 1/2 inches. I'd hate to see the results in the quilt once it was finished and washed, had I not decided to wash the charms!
So that's another consideration as to whether to pre-wash... to relax the fabric as well as shrink it before cutting (on grain).

[morgans4]

I do wash all my fabrics the minute they get home from the shop. I cut a corner and in they go. If they are going to shrink or lose their color, I want it to happen before I go to all the work of making something for someone. How embarrassing it would be for me if their quilt shrunk or ran. I don't take a chance of that happening. Even after I make a quilt or a baby item to give away. If it's ever going to be washed, I wash it. That way, if anything is going to happen to it, it happens before they get it, when I can, hopefully, repair it.

[sewbug]

If the charm was sewn in a block, I don't see how it can relax away from the stitching. I think if you washed the charms after you squared them up after the first wash, they would relax again into not square again. ?

[gardenquilter]

i prefer not to wash mine unless i think the fabric may be a problem with bleeding