I Must Ask . . . Do You Pre-Wash Your Fabrics?

The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love, passion. –Nadia Boulanger

Last week, I asked about the music that you all love. Music is as diverse as the people who listen to it. I remember a road trip with my grandparents and one of my aunts some twenty-odd years ago. We'd switch off music, every other 8-track. My aunt picked stuff like Kenny Loggins and Barry Manalow. My grandparents picked stuff like the beer-barrel polka and Liberace. As much music as is out there, no matter how diverse the tastes are, you can usually come together somewhere.

P., I really liked Michael Boulton too . I have a few of his songs on my iPod now. Jenna and Shay, I'm right there with you on Michael Jackson. He was my second crush and I bought MJ trading cards. I have Thriller on my iPod and pretty much love all of his music. Iris, our music tastes overlap quite a bit. I know and like about 75% of the bands you listed off. Samantha, I'm with you on keeping it clean and Marianne, I'm definitely going to have to check out Tom Paxton!

I usually forget one or two categories in my polls, but last week I forgot a couple of really obvious ones. Namely, Folk Music, Blues, Opera, Movie Scores and Show Tunes {Broadway and movie musicals}. Movie scores are awesome. In the 80's, my dad and I saved up to get the LadyHawke soundtrack on vinyl {and according to him, vinyl is still the best way to listen}. When I have trouble falling asleep, I put on the soundtrack to Miss Potter and I'm usually out about ⅔ of the way in.

I absolutely love musicals! Love them! I have soundtracks for Disney musicals and broadway musicals and I love to listen to them {and to watch the movies!}. I took the Little Bugs to see the new Muppet movie. They open with a pretty catchy song, which I sang for about a week afterwards without really knowing the words. I know you all know what I mean. I looked for it on YouTube and had a really hard time deciding between three versions of it. In the end, I went with Kermit singing with the composer, Bret McKenzie. Enjoy listening to it and accept my apology for forgetting so many great music genres.



Today's question is really just for those who quilt and sew. I have a list that I work from for my questions each week. I think about it driving home from work or in the shower and most of them seem like a good idea at the time, but when it comes to writing out a post, sometimes I'm just not in the mood. I'm sorry to exclude the non-sewing/quilting group this time, but after some fabric came in the mail today {I ordered some Kona Cotton from The Fat Quarter Shop in a color I couldn't find in any store around here} I got a little curious. I was getting ready to throw the fabric in the wash, when I wondered if anybody else out there is a religious pre-washer like I am. I wash everything before I use it except for pre-cuts. And I don't use pre-cuts much, mostly because I can't pre-wash .

I've debated back and forth in my head if washing fabrics before use is really worth it. It is kind of a hassle. That pretty, new-from-the-bolt finish gets washed away and you have to press it before you can use it. The raw edges make a tangle in the wash and take forever to trim away for proper drying. And it is one more step between purchasing the fabric and actually getting to sew with it. Why bother, then?

Well, first things first. I serge my raw edges before washing. Really. I know . I get looks when I take my pre-washed fabric into shops to audition it with other fabrics. But I worry about any of those frayed threads getting tangled up where they shouldn't be and breaking the washer. And, it takes longer to cut away all those tangled threads after the fabrics are washed than it does to serge the raw edges beforehand. And secondly, with the awesome Magic Starch recipe fabrics press up quickly and easily and look and feel just like new. That eliminates most of the hassle.

Back to the question at hand, then. Why bother with pre-washing? I do it for several reasons. The first reason is because of a lesson I learned a good 25 years ago: fabric shrinks! And when you spend hours making an item of clothing it is pretty disappointing to have it come out of the wash for the first time and have it be too small. When you're making a quilt, shrinkage is not so much an issue. The batting is going to shrink and the quilt is going to get crinkly and wrinkly. Maybe it is all in my head, but there is a bit of a different look when just the batting shrinks, as opposed to fabric and batting shrinking, and I kind of prefer just the batting shrinking.

Another reason is that if any of the dye runs, the dark colors won't bleed into the light colors and ruin a whole quilt. This is assuming you wash darks and light separately . The last of my big reasons for pre-washing is if the fabric was pulled off-grain it is easier to correct after you've washed and pressed the fabric. Cutting on the grain is kind of important.

I've tried a little experiment on the fabric I washed today. I'll let you know how it comes out next week. In the meantime I must ask . . . do you pre-wash your fabrics? Vot in the poll {you can mark always if you wash everything but pre-cuts. It totally counts.} If you pre-wash, leave me a comment and tell me why? If you don't, I'd like to hear about that too!

Just a reminder: the February Finishes Linky Party is open all month long! Add your finishes as you go! I'd love to see what you've been up to!