It's true.....

[easyquilts]

that strips of fabric should NOT be washed.....

You know, I don't prewash anything..... However..... A few prized lavender strips fell on the dining room floor, as we were carting things back into my old sewing room.... No one noticed....

Sooooooo.....I went back to check on things, and found my lovely lavender strips in a sodden heap on the floor... It seems that one of the little dogs had....shall we say relieved himself on them.... Yikes!

Hoping to salvage the strips, I threw them into the washer..... You know what's coming..... The strips came out in one, tangled, unraveled mess..... I immediately remembered how much my husband loved fixing things like that for me... But, knew I had to tackle the job myself.... I failed, and finally had to pitch the whole tangled wad of what had bern really pretty lavender strips.

We are always asked by newbies if they should was their precuts.... And we always say NO.... Now I know first hand what can happen.... Big Sigh...

[Bubby]

Re: It's true.....

Lessons learned hard are lessons learned well. Sorry for the loss of your lavender strips though....Hugs

[soul60s]

Re: It's true.....

that strips of fabric should NOT be washed.....

You know, I don't prewash anything..... However..... A few prized lavender strips fell on the dining room floor, as we were carting things back into my old sewing room.... No one noticed....

Sooooooo.....I went back to check on things, and found my lovely lavender strips in a sodden heap on the floor... It seems that one of the little dogs had....shall we say relieved himself on them.... Yikes!

Hoping to salvage the strips, I threw them into the washer..... You know what's coming..... The strips came out in one, tangled, unraveled mess..... I immediately remembered how much my husband loved fixing things like that for me... But, knew I had to tackle the job myself.... I failed, and finally had to pitch the whole tangled wad of what had bern really pretty lavender strips.

We are always asked by newbies if they should was their precuts.... And we always say NO.... Now I know first hand what can happen.... Big Sigh...

Although too late for your strips, if you put them in a zippered netted lingerie bag it would prevent that from happening. Sorry about them.

[Suzette]

Re: It's true.....

Sorry that happened! You had no choice in this case but to try and salvage them by cleaning them.

Something similar happened to me with some precuts (it was a couple of layer cakes and a daughter with dirty shoes who accidentally stepped on them). I put them in a lingerie bag and swished them gently in the sink with some mild detergent. Laid them out to air dry then pressed them. No fraying and they weren't ruined, but they weren't exactly 10" square anymore either.

[coffeebreak]

Re: It's true.....

I pre wash everything, even pre cuts and lace. I would rather have it do anything bad that it is going to do BEFORE i spend all that time sewing and then have it mess up in some way.

But for the pre cuts or smaller pieces..even FQ's... I always put them in a lingerie bag. I safety pin a handful together in the middle of the longest edge and that holds them from tangling. Don't have much trouble with charms or smaller other than needing pressed so I don't pin those, but FQ's and larger pieces or strips, I do pin. IT all works great and comes out fine...just needs some pressing.