Prewashing
your fabric is necessary to get the sizing and lose dye out of your
fabric before putting it into a quilt.
Watch
the following video to learn some tips on prewashing your fabric and
how to save time ironing after it's been cleaned.
Prewashing
Tips:
Presoak
fabrics in a small bin or bathtub - Some fabrics will bleed
more than others so it's smart to check the color fastness of your
fabrics. Soak the fabric in water for 30 minutes and see if it bleeds.
If your color bleeds badly, treat the fabric with Retayne, a color
faster according to the directions on the bottle.
Machine
wash like colors with like colors
- After presoaking and checking for color fastness, machine wash
your fabrics with like colors. Pink will definitely not mix with
navy blue!
Don't wait
until the last minute - Wash your fabric when you first bring
it home, don't wait until you're 5 minutes from cutting out your
new quilt.
Untwist
and Clip
- After washing, lay the fabric out on a counter and clip away all
the threads. Snap the fabric once or twice to shake most of the
wrinkles out.
Dry, but
not too Dry - Dry fabric on a medium setting and set it so that
the fabrics will come out slightly damp. If you dry the fabrics
all the way, you will dry the wrinkles firmly into the fabric.
Iron Immediately
- Take your fabric out of the dryer promptly and iron it immediately.
Don't leave them in your dryer for three days while the wrinkles
crease into shape!
Starch is
Your Friend - Make ironing easier and more effective by starching
your fabrics. This not only gets ALL the wrinkles out of your fabrics
quickly, it also make cutting and piecing your quilts much easier
too!
As
stated in the video above, I didn't
prewash for the first 3 years I quilted and I definitely paid
the price. My first quilt is permanently stained from the leaking
dye. Unless you like the look of navy blue stains on white fabric
- prewash your fabric!!!
