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She said NOT to prewash..... now what should I do?


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Hey all. I took a class at my LQS last weekend where the instructor made us pick the fabric and cut it right there instead of pre-washing. I ALWAYS pre-wash ALL my fabric, so this was very hard for me, but I obeyed like a good little girl. Now I"m wondering if I should just finish the rest of the quilt top, or pre-wash the squares we made in class and THEN put sashing and borders together...... and do you have to pre-wash the silk batting? does it shrink? if I used that and it doesn't shrink, then I should pre-wash everything when the top is done, right? But if I pre-wash the squares I made then I'll be pressing all the seams over again before I can go on, and the edges I've just squared will end up all wonky and frayed, won't they? But will everything shrink evenly if I stitch all together unwashed?

Hope somebody can answer some of these questions here.... as you see I'm a little confused. And I want to get this thing done already! :mad: (No, I'm NOT mad, LOL!)

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The "rule" I've always heard and followed is (and this is from my MIL who has been a quilter for 40+ years): either piece all before washing or piece all UNwashed fabric then wash the top, press, quilt. So, don't wash some not others etc. Now MIL does not wash batting at all, but that is her rule. I did "rinse" some Warm & Natural a few years ago and now I can't remember why, but it was fine. It was not silk batting as you are talking about. I would read any manufacturers instructions and follow those. My MIL is a handquilter and she prefers everything unwashed and she enters quilts into shows unwashed. She likes the look of unwashed. I like the to wash all fabrics, press, piece, etc. take care.

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To wash or not to prewash fabrics before piecing is a personal choice. However if the fabrics for the class were not washed before peicing then you need to stick with that throughout the whole piecing procedure (sahing, borders, backing etc...) to change it mid way will result in disaster, such as distored or uneven blocks, blocks that are frayed due to washing etc...

I would continue to use unwashed fabrics until the quilt is complet, stitched, quilted and bound.

No do not prewash your batting either.

Good luck.

Joann

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Patty, I would not recommend washing unfinished quilt blocks. I think it would be worse to do that -- it could mess up your pressed seams and fray the block's edges, too. Don't stress too much about this. I've made many quilts and most times I do not prewash my fabrics (except for flannels and some that I might question with shrinking or bleeding) and I've not had problems with shrinking or bleeding (yet anyway...lol) :)

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Ok, I was just curious about the silk batting, so did some internet googling and found out not to soak the batting unless you want to deal with reshaping it. Apparently, one silk batting webside I found said that if wet, you can manipulate the size --- whoops, I wouldn't want to pull it out of its' original shape. So, I wouldn't soak (wash) it. Keep it high and dry I say! But I'm no authority, I've never use silk batting before, sounds absolutely elegant though. I might just have to get me a sample to see how it feels.

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I am currently using a product called "Quilt Wash" that my LQS sells - $7.99 for 8 oz. It seems to be a nice product; no complaints. I never used Orvis Paste, but I think I will try that when I need to shop for more quilt washing soap. I've heard it is quite good, too.

Typically I pre-wash all of my fabrics, although I don't always do it. For example, I'm in a Thimbleberries Club and Lynette's instructions say not to prewash. The class teachers said there is no reason to prewash Thimbleberries fabrics - the currently sold ones. I think the older ones were dyed differently and people had some problems with them. The new ones seem just fine.

I keep my quilt fabrics consistant in the same quilt. Either they are all prewashed, or none are prewashed. Now for the batting. If I am using a non-shrinking (poly) batting, I don't prewash/soak it. If I am prewashing fabric, then I try to pre-shrink a cotton batting. If I want an old wrinkled look (which I like for some quilts) I don't prewash anything and I use cotton batting. After the quilt is bound I wash it with the intention of shrinking it to make it look more like grandma's antique quilt. I guess this all depends on what I want the outome to be.

When I make baby quilts for all the neices and nephews and my kids friends, etc., I usually pe-wash the fabrics and use a nice poly - usually Quilter's Dream. This way, after they wash the quilt, it will still look like it did when they received it. I think a lot of the "kids" like it to look new, not like an antique. (At least that is the feedback I have been getting from my kids when I ask for some directions before making the quilts.)

Sandy

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Hi Patty

I used the Hobbs Tuscany silk batt in a show quilt this year. The quilt was a round robin (12 different hands - 6 quilters - put the top together) and it was NOT anywhere near square. Since it was a customer's quilt, I really agonized over the decision to block the quilt before it went to MQS and finally decided that it just HAD to be done.

I laid the quilt out on top of the insulation board I use to block quilts and spritzed it until it was almost saturated and blocked it. When they say you can manipulate the silk batt - they're absolutely right...even after it's been quilted. It was a square quilt and it was almost doggoned square after it was blocked. Looked sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better. I still got nailed on wobbly edges, but it looked 100% better.

I really like the silk batt. I'm not sure I'd want to put it in a dryer, just like the wool, but it's a real dream to quilt.

Vicki

Country Quilt Studio

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I once worked in a sewing factory in South Alabama. After seeing all the 'leftovers' from the roaches, rats, etc in the warehouse, I have always washed everything the minute it comes into my house - fabrics, clothes, linens - everything.

This is probably more information than you wanted to hear. Sorry.:P:P:P

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No no, you should have heard what my sister was telling me about living in a rental in GA with four little kids in the 80's and 90's... Good Glory Be!! Talk about your ROACHES!! And then she told me about this preying mantis bug that crawled out of nowhere one day and sat on her kitchen counter while she was chopping veggies....... she says when she came at it with her butcher knife it SCREAMED at her!!! YIKES!!! So your little news seems like nothing. At least you didn't have to LIVE with them..... (shivershivershiver!) :mad: (No, I am not mad! Stop telling them I'm mad, you silly computer! On the other hand, if I'm typing messages on here to my computer..... must have been the thought of that bug!)

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Patty, I probably shouldn't even type this...it's kinda gross... anyway, someone I know that used to live in Oregon and worked in the Smuckers' jam and jelly factory ... anyway, she said that if you ever knew what ends up in all mixed in with the grapes, strawberries, blackberries and boysenberries, you wouldn't want to to eat that jam or jelly... so, let's suffice to say that what we don't know won't hurt us... ;) lol :P and some things are better left unsaid. But, I still love my jam and it hasn't killed me yet! ;)

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Stop this! Please stop this! Roaches, and spiders and other bugs crawling around in food and on fabric; Oooh, that just makes me shiver! I stopped eating at KFC & Wendy's after some of the stories I heard, now I'm going to have to give up fabric, too! Say it isn't so! Please say it isn't so!

PS You don't want to know what goes into chorizo sausage; or any sausage for that matter!

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okay...same goes for any processed foods. I've also heard from produce delivery people that if you could see what goes on in most commercial kitchens we wouldn't eat out...I hate cleaning up after dinner...if DH says lets go out...we go out!!:D

If we knew half the stuff that goes into our food products we wouldn't buy them. My DH works with railroad tank cars. They haul flour products or corn syurps or sorgum, almost any kind of food product. He has told me of critters that get up in those cars to eat the product...you think they can clean that stuff before it goes into our food?? Nope...I told him not to tell me about it, what I don't think about won't hurt me;)

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I don't know how this topic took a turn, but it's really enlightening! lol

My cousin worked for a LARGE, well-known bakery...tells how the 'baker'

would spit into the grease to see if it 'sizzled' and was hot enough for

donuts...thank God, for the hot grease....that kills all the germs ...doesn't it? ML

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