What does a non-pre-washed fat quarter make a quilt look like?

I never prewash because it would shrink and then you would have to do more work to square things up again.

I was going to come in here and say that your quilts are going to have some wrinkle to them no matter what you do because it's the nature of the beast, but Cathryn beat me to it.

I supposed if you made a quilt out of polyester, with polyester batting that it wouldn't have any wrinkles or crinkles, but then it wouldn't be a very comfortable quilt. I hate polyester fabric.

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Originally Posted by Bubby

The only thing I pre-wash is flannel if I will be using it on the back of a quilt. The reason I do this is because it shrinks at a different rate than regular cotton. As far as pre-cuts are concerned, I don't prewash them. The manufacturers recommend that your do NOT prewash them. The only selvedge on a precut is at the end of 2.5" strips, which you don't sew into your projects anyway.

After my quilts are complete I wash them right away in cold water with a gentle liquid detergent and I throw in about 3 Color Catcher sheets to catch any migrating dye. I dry them on low in the dryer. I like to look of washed quilts..a little crinkly/puffy. It makes them look loved.

If your fat quarters shrunk, the way to square them up is to put your selvedges together in a manner that allows your fabric to fall straight. You may have to slide your selvedges to the point they are uneven. Once the fabric lies flat, trim off the edge to get a straight edge and go from there.

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Thanks for the "lesson" I appreciate that. I will keep that in mind. I have heard a few say about the salvage being the part that shrinks so maybe that is it. I had never thought of that before. I like the crinkled look sometimes, but not all the time. I am going to be using some fat quarters with some yardage to make some decorative pillows for my living room so I think that will be the best time to try a non-pre-washed FQ and see how it goes!

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Originally Posted by K. McEuen

I was going to come in here and say that your quilts are going to have some wrinkle to them no matter what you do because it's the nature of the beast, but Cathryn beat me to it.

I supposed if you made a quilt out of polyester, with polyester batting that it wouldn't have any wrinkles or crinkles, but then it wouldn't be a very comfortable quilt. I hate polyester fabric.

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Yes, I have noticed that about 100% poly batting. I try to get 50/50 or at least 80/20 as I don't want it to shrink. I like the look of the crinkle SOMETIMES, but not all the time. To me...my first impression is "it needs ironing!"

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Originally Posted by BellasQuilts

I never prewash because it would shrink and then you would have to do more work to square things up again.

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But if it is going to shrink at all...it shrinks in the pre wash OR the first wash of the finished quilt. The only diff I know of is the quilt will get that crinkled looked if no prewash was done. So I would say if you aren't pre washing, also don't square up. But then..would thinks match and be equal while construction?

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Originally Posted by Cat n bull

Cotton is GOING to wrinkle and pucker, every single time it's washed, no matter how many times it's washed. That's why we have to iron cotton clothing every time we wash them, and they make wrinkle resistant bed sheets for those that don't like wrinkled sheets.

The better quality quilting cottons shrink and color bleed very minimally, but like ALL cotton there is not much you can do to prevent the wrinkles once you wet it, even if you air dry it it's still not going to dry perfectly smooth.

Your batting choice will also effect shrinkage and puckering after washing, as well as your backing. If you want no to very minimal shrinkage and battings that will repeatedly dry as smooth as possible, stick with poly battings. Cotton is going to behave like cotton inside your quilt.

I wash on whatever temp is best for the whole load, and if my dog has particularly outdone herself on messing one of the couch quilts with slobber it will be washed on hot. ALL my quilts are dried on high. I do not have the patience or the space to look at a soggy quilt stretched out to dry, I want it DONE. And I hate the crispy feel of air dried fabrics.

I have also mixed unwashed and prewashed fabrics in quilts before and there is absolutely no way to tell which fabrics are which once the whole quilt is washed.

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Yeah you are right about the cotton batting shrinking to. I try to stay with 50/50 or 80/20 as the cotton is softer but the poly is sturdier...and I hadn't thought about the shrinkage of the batting. Learned something new in this discussion! I am going to make some decorative pillows for my living room and am going to try to mix pre washed (yardage) with a non-pre-washed FQ and then wash and see how ti goes. I think I am still back in the early 20th century as that is when fabrics were not as technoligically inclined as they are today...maybe progress has allowed fabrics to not shrink as they used to.

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Originally Posted by MartinaG

I either prewash everything for a project or nothing - but I generally don't mix prewashed and unwashed because the pieces may shrink differently. If you prewash everything, then there is less shrinkage when the entire quilt gets washed. Unwashed fabric can lead to more shrinkage and more "puckering" - I happen to like the antique look of the puckered fabric. Another component to the overall look is the amount of quilting on the piece. Uneven quilting density will make the quilt look more puckered in some areas than others.

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Pre wash to lessen shrinkage is exactly why I do pre wash. I am not a huge fan of the pucker look. Okay on some styles of quilts, but for others....I dont' care much for it and my first impression when I see a "puckered" quilt is..."it needs ironing"...which means it looks sloppy. I dont' want that impression to something I have worked so hard to create and make.

I never prewash anything, and especially not precuts. The only thing I wash is flannel, because it shrinks so much. That being said, if the entire quilt is made of similar flannel, I may not wash that either.