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The Sew What’s New Archive
This archived content is from Mary Wilkins’ sewing and
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From: smith972
Date: 10-21-2004, 06:38 AM (1 of 11)
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Hello ladies, I have read in several posts that you all have said that you are washing your fabric and ready to go....so my question is this: Do you wash all fabrics? How exactly do you pre-shrink, is this washing and drying the fabric or wetting it and hanging it up? Can you give me a list of fabric that needs to be pre-shrunk? If you have to pre-shrink the fabric how much extra do you buy at the fabric store? Thanks  P.S. You guys are the best at answering questions and finding soluations.... Thanks a million... Jada |
User: smith972
Member since: 09-10-2004 Total posts: 241 
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From: MaryW
Date: 10-21-2004, 07:32 AM (2 of 11)
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Hi Jada and welcome. It all depends on the fabric. Polyesters don't need to be pre-shrunk at all. 100% cottons should be washed and dried before cutting. So should rayons or any other fabric that shrinks upon washing. Flannels should be washed and dried 2-3 times before cutting. To pre-shrink wash and dry your fabric the same as you will once the project is complete. MaryW
owner/editor of Sew Whats New |
User: MaryW
Member since: 06-23-2005 Total posts: 2542 
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From: DorothyL
Date: 10-21-2004, 08:08 AM (3 of 11)
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I think the rule of thumb is to pretreat the same way you expect to clean the item later. For some fabrics that are really prone to shrink an extra wash is called for. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: susies1955
Date: 10-21-2004, 08:08 AM (4 of 11)
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I'm a new sewer/quilter and I was told by my local quilt shop lady that you didn't have to wash fabric. Well, since then I have heard horror stories of people washing a quilt with red in it and it did bleed. I did a Christmas Block Of The Month from this quilt lady and it has a ton of red in it so none of it has been washer. I plan to throw a color catcher in the wash when I do wash it. I have since started washing everything. Susie northern NY
http://community.webshots.com/user/susies1955 |
User: susies1955
Member since: 11-07-2003 Total posts: 124 
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From: DorothyL
Date: 10-21-2004, 08:13 AM (5 of 11)
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Your local quilt shop may feel confident with that advice for the brands they carry -- but if you shop cheap sometimes -- such as WalMart, Joanne's, Hancock and the like -- you do need to pretreat. I learned the hard way. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: susies1955
Date: 10-21-2004, 08:33 AM (6 of 11)
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Dorothy, I never even gave it a thought that there may be better quality at her shop. See?????? I told you I was new. :o) Thanks, Susie northern NY
http://community.webshots.com/user/susies1955 |
User: susies1955
Member since: 11-07-2003 Total posts: 124
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From: dlbcpa2b
Date: 10-21-2004, 09:10 AM (7 of 11)
Whether or not I prewash/preshrink fabric depends on what I'm doing. If I'm sewing clothing, I DEFINATELY prewash! Make sure the fabric shrinks BEFORE you put all that hard work into making something that fits!  If I'm making a quilt using 100% cotton, I do not prewash. This is just personal preference, but I would rather work with the fabric while it has all of it's original sizing on it, rather than wash it, press it, and starch it. Too much work!  Then, when I wash the quilt for the first time, I use a Dye Magnet cloth in the machine. I've had very good success with this product.Dee 
In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins--not through strength, but through perserverance.
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User: dlbcpa2b
Member since: 10-20-2004 Total posts: 14 
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From: paroper
Date: 10-21-2004, 10:43 AM (8 of 11)
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I do not normally prewash fabric unless I think it will bleed or unless I am using two fabrics together that will be washed and the fabrics do not have the same content or I am using fabric that I know will shrink. I know that a lot of people do prewash. In all the years of home ec in college and high school, this was not a topic of discussion. I like the look and feel of fabrics that have not been prewashed and many fabrics have only about a 1% shrinkage rate. Although this is a personal preferance, I've never had a problem with fit after the first wash. On the other hand, if I were a quilter and were mixing a lot of different types of fabric, I might be more inclined to wash the fabrics.
pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: TammyE.H.
Date: 10-21-2004, 12:03 PM (9 of 11)
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I'm a perfectionist. So I prewash everything. While prepping the pattern pieces, I toss the fabric in the washer. That way I have an idea what the garment will look like when it gets washed. I was planning a skirt with a specific fabric, and when it got washed and dried the way I care for most of my clothes, I realized that it didn't look the way I wanted to. I went out and got some new fabric that behaved the way I wanted it to behave. So it helped me avoid disappointment. |
User: TammyE.H.
Member since: 08-28-2004 Total posts: 51 
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From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 10-21-2004, 12:20 PM (10 of 11)
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There are some mfrs fabrics that I know will be a waste of time to prewash... Cranston Print Works and Hoffman are two that I never pre treat...I go by touch.. At my age , I feel I have experienced enough fabric to tell the texture and of course if I'm not sure, I scrub it in my hands like I'm handwashing it and then look at it again (this is while I am shopping) and this trick usually shows me if it has been filled with body by artificial means..
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022 
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From: smith972
Date: 10-21-2004, 04:32 PM (11 of 11)
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When you have to pre shrink your fabric how much extra do you need.. Jada |
User: smith972
Member since: 09-10-2004 Total posts: 241
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