I am revisiting an old post. spend time in every class telling students why I wash my fabric and it seems like a good topic for the blog. So, why wash?
Linda and I always pre-wash our
fabric – meaning that we wash it before we cut it up and use it in a
quilt. Always. We wash in a washer and dry in a dryer.
- Cotton
shrinks when washed and dried. Not all cottons shrink at the same rate.
For example, a batik shrinks less than most cotton off the bolt. If you
construct a quilt with batiks and other fabrics, and then wash, your
quilt can draw up in some areas and not in others. This often looks
bad. You should also be aware that not all regular printed cottons
shrink at the same rate either. - Cotton can bleed. It is our
experience that this is mostly due to water chemistry. Fabric washed in
one place may bleed and it may not in other places. We think it's much
better to know if there's a issue before you sew a problem fabric into your quilt. FYI – use Synthrapol, Retayne, or the Color Catchers made by Shout to control bleeding. - In
our opinion, pre-washed cotton behaves better. It tends to fray less
because it has been pre-shrunk. It has a better hand. We have each used
starch in the distant past but don't any more because we haven't
noticed a need to use it. - Pre-washing removes the chemicals
and finishes from the fabric. Because I know quilters who can't touch
unwashed fabric, I asked my dermatologist about it. He said that, yes,
these chemicals can cause problems for some people. He also said that
some of these chemicals out-gas and that the fumes (that don't bother
most people) can be a problem. It's also important to remember that
most of our fabric is imported and that shipping containers are treated
with insecticides and some of that residue could end up on your fabric.
So that answers the "why" question. Tomorrow I'll answer the "how" question.
Piece O Cake Blog 
I’ve been going back and forth on this issue and your e-mail helped me to decide. I’m going to make the 2010 Pieced quilt on The Quilt Show. I’m living temporarily in a very small apartment in Vermont and my stash is in Washington state, so I bought their kit. My mother always said that when she paid so much for fabric, it should be ready to sew with and not have to be washed. I will have to use the commercial washing machine and pay for the pre-washing. It’s such a hassle especially since the background fabric is 10 1/2 yds. I need to do it tonight, but perhaps I’ll wait for tomorrow’s post.
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My family has an allergies to unwashed fabrics even in ready made clothing. Rashes and hives are not a nice thing. So we zig zag the edges of fabric and wash and dry before it is ever used or stored. The zig zagging stops the thread tangles in the wash and you have less of a mess to undo when you take them out of the washer. It takes only a couple minutes. In large background pieces can you cut them to a more managable size then wash? Chris
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If you arent going to need the fabric in longer pieces you certainly could cut it into pieces for washing.
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