Prewashing Fabric

[Jenny C.]

Something I do that inevitably has the kids laughing... After pre-washing my fabric, I prefer to iron it while still damp-- but sometimes I don't have time to finish, or I've washed a load for a specific piece and want to get back to the sewing, so I fold the remaining damp pieces of fabric, seal it in a ziploc bag, and stick it in the FREEZER :lol: Then when I get one of those "round tuits" I can "thaw" my fabric (doesn't take long, can usually "peel" off fat-quarters) and using a dry iron, create my own steam, ending up with fairly crisp, pressed fabric w/o using starch or sizing. Learned this from my Mom, she used it when ironing linen tablecloths & napkins...
Florence

[Jenny C.]

That is a neat tip there Florence, I would have never thought of that. Freezing would stop them from mildewing and stinking to high heaven before you get to them! Only thing I would be worried about is the expanding water crystals might damage the threads in the fabric if you did it too often - but I don't think you would have to do it more than once. I'll give it a go some time

[Carla G.]

I was really glad to see this post. The quilts I've made so far have all been for babies or toddlers and needed to withstand multiple washings, so I've prewashed the fabric. But I'm getting ready to begin a block-of-the-month quilt and don't know if I should prewash these or not. The fabrics are a wide range of colors, including some brights and some black prints, so fading could be a problem if the finished quilt is washed eventually. Should I take the better-safe-than-sorry approach and go ahead and pre-wash? Some of the fabrics provided are fairly small pieces, so it will probably have to be done in a sink rather than the washer. I'd really appreciate any advice from those of you with more experience at this than I have.

Suzie

Suzie,

You can put your smaller pieces in a mesh laundrt bag and it works well in the washer.

Carla

[Annette R.]

Back in the days of old, when all men's shirts needed to be ironed and I hated to iron if I could get out of it. dh's shirts lived in the freezer, I would get one out on Saturday to iron for Sunday. Thank goodness we were farmers and he only needed ironed shirts on Sunday. His shirts never seemed to be damaged from extended freezing . only problem was if he thought the package was food when I was at school teaching. then my jig was up and i was exposed for being a neglectful wife -- he survived and still doesn't get ironed shirts very often.

[Annette R.]

I will pre-wash fabrics for clothing, but the only fabrics I pre-was for quilting are flannels and Osnaburg, only because they shrink so much.

Nearly everything I make has red in it, and it's mixed in with various creams and tans. I've never had any problems with dye running, but I do wash with a Shout Dye Grabber sheet the first time.

[Annette R.]

If you're concerned about colors running when you wash your fabric, try Color Catcher. It's munufactured by Shout, buy it where you buy other laundry products. It's about the same size as a softener sheet that you would use in your dryer. Put it in the washer with fabrics that you're concerned about, if the color does run it is more attracted to the sheet than to fabric. I don't know how or why, but it works!

[Mary K.]

If you're concerned about colors running when you wash your fabric, try Color Catcher. It's munufactured by Shout, buy it where you buy other laundry products. It's about the same size as a softener sheet that you would use in your dryer. Put it in the washer with fabrics that you're concerned about, if the color does run it is more attracted to the sheet than to fabric. I don't know how or why, but it works!

I love Color Catchers and have never had a problem when I use them! Mary Kay