Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Hi! :icon_wave: I have absolutely fallen in love with the Sticks and Stones quilt that Jenny made for her tutorial using Juicy Jewels Strip Pack by Island Batiks. It would be my first quilt. But I'm scared to death to order all the fabric and make it, only to have it ruined. Normally, you prewash fabric, so you don't encounter huge shrinkage. I'm afraid if I prewash 2-1/2" strips, I'll have a frayed mess. If I don't prewash them, I'm afraid those gorgeous rich purples, blues, and greens will run/bleed all over each other and the white if I wait to wash it until after the quilt is finished. I recently retired (a few years earlier than originally planned), so I'm "watching pennies." Any help/suggestions would be truly appreciated. Please help! :(
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
No, never wash precuts, except maybe fat quarters. Just make sure you use Colour Catchers when you wash your quilt. :)
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Thank you! I'll research Colour Catchers as I'm not familiar with it. Thanks again!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Don't !!!
Precuts (especially strips) should never be washed. There is great debate over whether any fabrics need to be washed. I personally don't and have had no problems. If a precut had to be washed because it was soiled, you would soak it in water with a little detergent, rinse and lay flat to dry.
Welcome to the forum!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
I just bought some color catchers...Shout in the laundry isle. In a small red box :)
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Thanks Donna, appreciate it!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Fo not wash your strips! Many of us don't prewash anything.... Good fabric doesn't shrink all that much, and seldom bleeds.
I haven't ore washed anything, including flannel, in years... No problems... But, I way my quults in cold water only... And always use a couple of color catches the first time they are washed.
So... Order your besutiful strips snd make a gorgeous quilt.... Have fun!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
White box is shown at Walmart, and some folks are saying you can't mix colors and whites with it. Sounds like the orange/red box is the way to go!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Thanks Sandy! Appreciate the encouragement!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
The. Color Catchers really work. Saw it first on the forum and bought some to try out. Worth every cent. Welcome!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Yeah, I had never heard of color catchers before I joined this forum. Now I use them at the time I wash the completed quilts "just in case." And, like everyone said, never wash your pre-cuts. I am also in agreement that you do not have to pre-wash your fabric prior to quilting, but it's your own personal preference that matters.
Enjoy your first quilt!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
NO NO NO do not prewash! And lucky me, my DD works at S.C. Johnson Co. who makes Color Catchers and I can get them practically for free!
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
I use color catchers and give one with every quilt/table runner/ etc. that I give away, along with a note to wash in cold water and use this color catcher.
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
I pre-wash NO fabric! Your pre-cuts will be ruined if you attempt to wash them. I wash the quilt after it's pieced & quilted. I do not use color catchers, due to the strong fragrance.
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Pre-washing pre-cuts reduces their effective sizes. Aggitation in the washer causes the edges to fray up to 1/4" on each side, and there is usally some shrinkage. After washing several 10" squares and removing the frayed edges, I found that I could cut 9 1/4" - 9 1/2" squares from the pieces. Strips are a totally different experience. They knot themselves into complex wads, and threads from the frayed edges tangle up with any free thread they can find. Do not pre-wash strips unless you have the patience for a great detangling puzzle.
I don't pre-wash new pre-cuts that I purchase. However, I acquire a lot of second hand fabrics (scraps, remnants, etc.) with unknown storage histories that I use in scrap quilts. I wash all second hand fabric before I use it, even if the pieces are tiny scraps.
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jjkaiser
NO NO NO do not prewash! And lucky me, my DD works at S.C. Johnson Co. who makes Color Catchers and I can get them practically for free!
Really? Can I order a couple cases from you? lol We don't have them anymore up here in Canada. I could sell them in my shop easily.
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Denis
Really? Can I order a couple cases from you? lol We don't have them anymore up here in Canada. I could sell them in my shop easily.
Wow Denis, that is so strange. Color catchers are such a useful product. Do you have any idea why they are no longer sold in Canada? Even before I started quilting I found and started using them because I was single again and wanted to mix laundry loads with no mishaps. So the market is broader than quilters.
Re: Prewashing 2-1/2" Strips???
I swear by them in a TOP loading washer. BUT...NOT in a FRONT loading washer. Unless anyone else has had good luck using them in a front loading washer. I ruined a quilt that had red in it. Next time I'm taking my quilt to the laundry mat to wash.