lodad

Let's hear it for the pre-wash !!! I always sew the ends of the fabric before washing so it won't ravel as much. That really helps. Just sew a straight or zig-zag stitch.
I don't have a dryer so I hang them on the clothes line then iron them.
Lowell ;)

carslo

I never prewash but use Color Catchers when I wash the quilt when I am done. I prefer the little bit of shrinakge look on my quilts.

cquilter2

I learned the hard way to always prewash my fabric. I had a dresden plate (orange ) run all over the white background. A few years ago I had a beautiful red rose print run all over the white background. It took 3 days of work to get it out. I about had a heart attack as it was all needle turned applique! Now nothing comes into my sewing room til it's washed!

Havplenty

i usually do not prewash my cotton fabrics but i will prewash some of my batiks. the dye process in some batiks allow the colors to run and i would not want that to happen after i make a quilt.

i have found that CT fabrics do unravel a lot more than other fabrics i purchase. for precuts (rolls or charms) that i purchase from CT, i handwash those. i swish them around in hot water, rinse and squeeze the water out.

good luck with your projects.

Doreen

I never prewash material. I wash everything after it's done. Never had a problem

JanetLovesSewing

I've been sewing since the War of 1812. I prewash simply because I did it back in the day when shrinkage and fading were a problem. I still prewash because I am afraid of getting that one piece of fabric that will fade out or shrink on me.

RST

I don't usually prewash. But with a collection of CT solids, when I spritzed with water and pressed with a hot iron, the amount of shrinkage was pretty shocking. I measured the shrinkage to be 3 inches in one direction, 2 in the other on a fat quarter.

If you are mixing with other fabric lines, planning to make a quilt with heavy use, or are a real stickler for precision piecing, I think, based on my experience, it's safer to prewash.

jillaine

It's so odd (and fascinating) that we have such divergent experience with the same fabric; wonder if any CT staff watch this board?

lodad

Something that may help you with the unravelling would be to sew a straignt or zig zag stitch down the side of fabric as close to the edge (both ends) as you can get. I do that to all my fabrics before washing them. It really cuts dow on unravelling.
Lowell :thumbup:

tyoung

I have done both, depending on what I was doing with the fabrics. It washes well.