For home dec projects I never preshrink fabrics, even cotton!
Any sewists?
- Thread starter jkbff
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My wife has been a life long sewer of clothing and now is mostly a quilter. She pre-washes all new material. If you put ten fat quarters in the machine and run rinse and spin cycle each one will come out a different size. If you don't pre wash your finished project, it will look great until it hits the machine the first time you have to wash it. Especially quilts will get twisted and never lay flat again.
What Eddie Said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
What Eddie Said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
I think it depends quite a lot.
Yes, it's true that a lot of fabrics are sanforized and that currently fiber reactive dyes are less likely to bleed or fade or stain other fabrics.
That being said, I'd think it depends on how comfortable you are with change.
If you didn't pay much for the fabric and you don't mind wasting your time if something goes wrong, just sew it. If you'd resent the time spent washing, drying, pressing/ironing the fabric just to discover it did not shrink or bleed, you may want to skip it.
Me, I'm ambivalent. If I'm making a quilt and it's going to be rather densely quilted, even if if shrinks a bit I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't bleed all over and stain itself. I'm also unlikely to prewash any kits I bought for quilts that are precut, that would be madness with all the fraying, and I'm willing to grin and bear it if I wasted my time and money on something that got ruined, it's live and learn.
But most of the time, particularly if I bought yardage to cut myself, I will prewash it in *exactly* the way I intend to wash and dry the finished product. Many people will wash everything in one way and treat it after sewn in another way, and will be very unhappy with the results. A *lot* of fabrics in bolts are not on the straight of grain, they look like they are, but as soon as you wash and dry it you realize it was distorted during weaving/dyeing perhaps by the wrong tension on the yarns and as soon as the fibers relax it's visibly distorted, and you get a better chance to cut it right and/or try to fix it.
And if you ever intend to just wash and tumble dry it, do not iron the fabric. Press it, don't iron it. Ironing can undo all the pre-shrinking you worked for by washing/drying, and it can bite you in the but after you wear the garment and wash/dry it and you will be in for a ton of ironing again.
All that being said, for curtains I'd wash and tumble dry the fabrics, take a good look at it and decide if you even want to sew it. Most of the time, the answer will be a resounding yes.
But there was that one time I washed and dried fabric for a set of curtains I wanted to make, really pretty fabric, and it basically ruined it, so I have never sewn it. Still bitter about it, one of these days I'll either do something with it (not curtains for sure) or donate it or trash it.
Have fun and good luck!
Yes, it's true that a lot of fabrics are sanforized and that currently fiber reactive dyes are less likely to bleed or fade or stain other fabrics.
That being said, I'd think it depends on how comfortable you are with change.
If you didn't pay much for the fabric and you don't mind wasting your time if something goes wrong, just sew it. If you'd resent the time spent washing, drying, pressing/ironing the fabric just to discover it did not shrink or bleed, you may want to skip it.
Me, I'm ambivalent. If I'm making a quilt and it's going to be rather densely quilted, even if if shrinks a bit I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't bleed all over and stain itself. I'm also unlikely to prewash any kits I bought for quilts that are precut, that would be madness with all the fraying, and I'm willing to grin and bear it if I wasted my time and money on something that got ruined, it's live and learn.
But most of the time, particularly if I bought yardage to cut myself, I will prewash it in *exactly* the way I intend to wash and dry the finished product. Many people will wash everything in one way and treat it after sewn in another way, and will be very unhappy with the results. A *lot* of fabrics in bolts are not on the straight of grain, they look like they are, but as soon as you wash and dry it you realize it was distorted during weaving/dyeing perhaps by the wrong tension on the yarns and as soon as the fibers relax it's visibly distorted, and you get a better chance to cut it right and/or try to fix it.
And if you ever intend to just wash and tumble dry it, do not iron the fabric. Press it, don't iron it. Ironing can undo all the pre-shrinking you worked for by washing/drying, and it can bite you in the but after you wear the garment and wash/dry it and you will be in for a ton of ironing again.
All that being said, for curtains I'd wash and tumble dry the fabrics, take a good look at it and decide if you even want to sew it. Most of the time, the answer will be a resounding yes.
But there was that one time I washed and dried fabric for a set of curtains I wanted to make, really pretty fabric, and it basically ruined it, so I have never sewn it. Still bitter about it, one of these days I'll either do something with it (not curtains for sure) or donate it or trash it.
Have fun and good luck!
Think I'm hooked. Made curtain panels with a matching valance for the door. Kitchen may be next!
Tom:
Now that you are hooked (yay!), please notify the guild of the person who hooked you, I believe we're still running the "every ten people you hook you get a toaster oven" thing!
;-)
Now that you are hooked (yay!), please notify the guild of the person who hooked you, I believe we're still running the "every ten people you hook you get a toaster oven" thing!
;-)
twintubdexter
Well-known member
<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">A photo of those curtains would be nice. I'm sure you'll be moving on to more projects, although those curtains sound like a real accomplishment. </span>
