Wash or Don't Wash?

There is a debate among quilters as to whether you should prewash your fabric. To this point there has been no definitive answer. This post only gives more advice. I chose to make this blog post because I just received a very interesting article written by Linda's Electric Quilter (Lindas.com) in Texas. It had a lot of information that I want to pass on to you to help you make your own decision.

Why do we wash fabric? Usually because we’re trying to avoid bleeding and shrinking. But depending on what you’re making, those concerns may not always be a big deal. A wallhanging, for instance, may never see a washing machine, while a bed quilt will go through plenty of laundering. So start by thinking about how often your quilt will be washed. Prewashing is also helpful when combining fabrics with different fiber contents—such as knits and 100% cotton—because each fiber type can shrink at its own rate. While the fabrics may piece together smoothly, uneven shrinkage after washing can distort an otherwise precisely pieced quilt.

If you're worried about bleeding you should prewash. Darker and more highly saturated colored fabrics are the ones that you should worry about. A pastel wouldn't make me think it needs to be prewashed.

I was surprised to learn from their article that different manufacturers may have different finishes on their fabrics and if you use them in the same quilt there may be a problem. I have done this often with no problems. Possibly those processes have changed.

Now the considerations for not prewashing. As I stated above, maybe it's something that won't get washed, like a wallhanging. Other reasons for not prewashing is if you want that old, been used for years, look you get after just a few washings. If you prewash there will be no shrinkage. If you're working with high quality quilting cottons there probably won't be any shrinkage so this won't be something that is less likely to happen. You'll also want to consider how stiff you want your fabric. If you like nice stiff fabric for cutting and piecing, washing will remove that natural stiffness. You could choose to stiffen the fabric with starch to get that quality back after washing.

If you've considered everything above but still aren't sure what to do, Linda's Electic Quilters suggests test washing. Take a 5" square of fabric and with a color catcher wash it to see if it bleeds, shrinks or loses to much stiffness. This will give you some guidance on how to proceed.

I hope this is helpful.

Happy Quilting!