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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

The pool has had lots of ice on it for the last week or so. We were down to one big chunk yesterday afternoon… our own personal iceberg!

I finally found the time to line the triangular drawers in the parts bin with acid free scrapbooking paper. Once lined, I filled the drawers with all sorts of fun stuff – silk bits, beads, sequins, crafting tools… the list is very long. I labeled the drawers with colorful paper, in my own less-than-perfect
printing. I may go back and do a fancier job, but it's working for now.

It was nice to fondle some of these fibers that I had forgotten I had. I really am going to have to come up with some projects where I can use this stuff that I can't resist buying.

It's way cold in Dallas – and quite possibly it's colder where you are. I've been saving this photo of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (found on Cup of Jo a while back) to share on just the right day. This is it. 

Or maybe this is a better image (from Weird Friends):

I found this a while back on Weird Friends. I don't know where I'd ever use the fabric but the designs in it are pretty good. Look at the reindeer and some of the tree shapes. They would work well as applique designs.

So many of us are in the deep freeze that I thought this would be a good time to share these photos of females on the beach. I took these photos when I was in California not long ago…

This lady was in her 80s if she was a day. Honestly, I hope to be as fit as she is at that age!