If you are new to quilting or even if you have been around for awhile, this is a question that comes up a lot. It is often hotly contested in Facebook Groups and other places. Let’s talk about it and decide if prewashing is for you, or not.

To Prewash or Not to Prewash. That is the Question.

To prewash or not to prewash, that is the question. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, there are things to consider in making this decision. Keep reading and then make the right decision for you.

Why I Prewash

A large stack of colour quilting fabrics three stacks wide. You can see fabrics in the colours of pink, purple, blue, red, orange, yellow and green. They are just randomly stacked.

I prewash all fabric that comes into my house, unless it’s a precut e.g. charm squares, jelly rolls and layer cakes, which I don’t buy too often. I do not prewash precuts because they can warp and fall apart in the wash. Fat quarters and cut yardage all go directly into the washing machine.

The fabric I use for my One Block Wonder Quilts does not get prewashed, but let me explain. For those that are not familiar with this technique, you take 4 ½ yards of fabric, stack it so that it aligns perfectly, pin the heck out of it so nothing shifts, and cut equilateral triangles in the exact same place through six layers of fabric. Prewashing this fabric would make it far more difficult to line up the layers correctly. I would also hate to have to iron it all.

Certain colours, namely red, purple and dark blue also get special treatment. I use colour catchers in the wash or, if I think they could be a problem and bleed, I use Retayne on them before washing to lock in the colour.

The Industry

The number one reason I prewash all my fabric is because of the chemicals used in processing it. I was diagnosed with Asthma in my early 40s. As a result, I am very careful with chemicals. I do not want chemical residue left on me, my rotary cutter, mat, rulers or sewing machine.

The list of chemicals used in producing textiles is fairly long and includes really bad chemicals like: Formaldehyde, Phenols and Azo Dyes. I will not get into this here, but Google them if you want to find out what they can do to your home and body.

You may be thinking that I only handle the fabric for a short period of time and then I wash the finished quilt. Great, however, unwashed fabrics containing these chemicals still put off chemical fumes. Do you really want that in your home? No, I didn’t think so.

The Pests

I have heard from more than one quilt store owner that pests can and do get into the fabric bolts. Do you want dead bugs or, even worse, animal excrement on your fabric? I don’t.

Shrinkage

An image of rolled up fabrics gathered together. There are shades of pink, yellow, green, blue, orange and purple.

By prewashing your fabric, you deal with the shrinkage that naturally occurs with cotton fabrics. This way, you don’t get a surprise when you wash the final quilt and it shrinks.

Retayne

I briefly mentioned Retayne earlier. Retayne is a wonderful product. It is a liquid that you use to treat your fabric prior to washing it. You put a small amount in really hot water and soak your fabric in it. Follow the label for best results. After soaking, you drop it in your machine and wash the fabric as normal. Retayne sets the colour so it will not bleed.

Colour Catchers

Colour Catchers can be used instead of Retayne. However, I have used Colour Catchers and had them not pick up any colour, but yet the colour bled when I washed the finished quilt. It was a good lesson for me and the main reason why I use Retayne on all of my red, purple and dark blue fabrics.

To Prewash or Not to Prewash

So what do you think? Have I convinced you that prewashing is worth your time, or would you rather take your risks?

I fully realize that it is another step in the quilt making process, and you have to iron the fabric once you have washed it. However, it is better to prewash than not to, at least in my opinion.

A Freebie for You

Before I end for today, I also have a Free Guide that will help you as you get started quilting, and even if you have been quilting for a while.

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I hope you have found this helpful. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email me here.

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