Question to wash or not to wash

I used to wash and iron EVERYTHING.

But I now buy for a communal stash so I warn everyone that I
am no longer willing to spend literally hundreds of hours
washing and ironing their fabric, and then I turn them loose
to make their own decisions. No major problems so far
(fingers crossed)

--

Cheryl & the Cats
_ _ _ _ _ _
( Y ) ( Y ) ( Y )
~ ~ ~
Enness Boofhead Donut
Now in hibernation with a wake-up call for Spring!
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau



"Barbara Sherrill" bsherrill@ia-pdq wrote in message
...
:I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject.
Not sure when it
: was last visited.
:
: Do you wash or not to wash your fabric before quilting?
:
: Barbara
:
:

Amen to that! There are so many chemicals used on fabric (including to keep
the bugs away) that if you knew the truth you probably wouldn't even want to
touch it without gloves on before it is washed.

Trixie

"A&T" wrote in message
ink.net...
Yes, yes, yes and yes!!!

I have always washed everything before I use it --- fabric, new clothes,
dishes, etc.

I'm obsessed with who else might have touched it!!! and with what!

Tricia
http://photos.yahoo.com/momiixii

Barbara Sherrill wrote:
I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when
it was last visited.

Do you wash or not to wash your fabric before quilting?

Barbara

I always prewash, and still get the crinkly look. The best of both worlds!

Trixie

"Laurie G." wrote in message
...
No, I do not. I tend to buy good quality fabric that isn't as course or
dye-ridden as lesser quality fabric, I'm not allergic to anything in the
fabric as other people can be, I love the crinkly look after quilted and
washed and most important of all.....I'm LAZY!!!!!!!! oh, and I hate to
iron!


--
Laurie G. in CA
http://community.webshots.com/user/lagrant7 new photos of my wholecloth
quilt!



"Barbara Sherrill" bsherrill@ia-pdq wrote in message
...
I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when
it was last visited.

Do you wash or not to wash your fabric before quilting?

Barbara

I wash in warm water, cold rinse and my normal detergent- plus a dye
catcher sheet- just like I will wash the finished quilt. Like the
others, I want to know all the shrinking is gone out of all the fabrics
(which will most likely shrink at different rates) as well as the
excess dyes are washed out and won't haunt me later. I wash all my
clothing, linens, etc. before I wear/use them as well. I like to know
that everything is *clean* to my standards. If you like the crinkly
look you get from washing a newly finished quilt then don't pre-shrink
your batting. BTW I pre-wash and pre-shrink my batting as well- I buy
Warm & White and/or Warm & Natural by the big roll when Joann Fabrics
has a 50% off sale or coupon.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.- where Hoover is still The Bestest Boy!!!

Barbara Sherrill wrote:
I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when it
was last visited.

Do you wash or not to wash your fabric before quilting?

Barbara

I don't wash. I used to but stopped at some point more than 10 years
ago. I have had only one mishap with fabric and was able to save the
quilt using the color cloths or whatever they are called.

Who knows how long it will be before I use all the fabric I bought. I
would rather spend my time sewing, cutting and quilting than washing
yardage, ironing it, folding it and putting it away -- only to be ironed
again when I decide to use it.

Kathy in NH

Barbara Sherrill wrote:
I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when it
was last visited.

Do you wash or not to wash your fabric before quilting?

Barbara

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 22:57:20 GMT, A&T wrote:

Yes, yes, yes and yes!!!

I have always washed everything before I use it --- fabric, new clothes,
dishes, etc.

I'm obsessed with who else might have touched it!!! and with what!

Tricia

I've been in a fabric mill and a sewing factory. It's not so much who
touched it, but what touched it....floors, shoes, bugs, etc.. I wash
everything too, especially new clothing.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

I wash everything I buy, before I even put it where it goes!! From fabrics
to dishes to panties sealed in a pkg. Who knows where it has been? Besides,
I've had may things bleed, and nothing is more frustrating than finding that
out after you've sewn it into a quilt. However, my mom's stash was mostly
unwashed when I inherited it. So now, I have a mix in my stash, so often,
I'll choose a fabric and then go "dang, this isn't washed", and have to wait
to cut until I've run it through the drill: hot water wash, warm water
rinse, with a color catcher, delicate cycle to keep the cut ends from
fraying too much, and *hot* dryer. However, I don't prewash batting, which
delivers the authentic "crinkly" look of hand made quilts. Just my 10
cents.
--
TerriLee in WA (state)
remove the cats to reply
http://community.webshots.com/myphot...umID=548330161

"Barbara Sherrill" bsherrill@ia-pdq wrote in message
...
I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when
it was last visited.

Do you wash or not to wash your fabric before quilting?

Barbara

I wash and dry everything before I sew it. I like to think of "worse
case scenario" for the recipients of my quilts - such as dad or teenager
washing and/or drying, carelessly. If it has already shrunk and bled,
there's no need to worry about "mishaps" once they leave my home.

Patti in Seattle

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 23:03:39 GMT, "Jeri"
wrote:

I don't use detergent or fabric softener but I do put all my fabric through
a hot wash/cold rinse gentle cycle. I use Retayne on all colors except
whites and light tans/creams. I then dry in a dryer to shrink it.

I also use Retayne for everything except pastels, whites and creams.
I've had reds and more frequently, blues, run in the wash. First I
put the fabric in hot water with Retayne, as per directions, then wash
on a low temp, gentle wash with 1/2 the regular amount of detergent.
I don't have a dryer, but I used to dry on hot. Now I just airdry and
then press, fold, and add to stash.



-- Jo in Scotland

I wash, not so much because of the colors running, but because sometime the
fabric twists a bit. I don't always buy name brand fabrics, and had a
problem once with twisting.

--
Boca Jan
Southern Florida - land of the hurricanes
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/poo_de_doo/my_photos
YUM Small prints and batiks - anything Kona
WOW Large prints, lime green and orange


"Barbara Sherrill" bsherrill@ia-pdq wrote in message
...
I would like to know how everyone feels about this subject. Not sure when
it was last visited.

Do you wash or not to wash your fabric before quilting?

Barbara