Pre-Washing Quilt Squares

By

momstutor

I haven't been horribly successful with cutting off the corners of the fabric to reduce the fraying (maybe too small of a piece?). When I used pinking shears it worked out much better. Just take your shears to the dryer so you can cut the threads off as you fold the fabric

By

hugmehugs

Di, I know this is late but I hope you see it. If you cut a small triangle off of each corner, the fabric will not unravel very much. I've been doing this for years. I don't remember where I heard it. Hope this helps.

By

zeke47

You can also put your squares in some water in a salad spinnner and then dry. It works.

By

Jantoo

If you let all those pieces soak in the bathtub in hot water for a couple hours, would that do it?

By KJ (Guest Post)

Try washing the squares on a gentle cycle. This should help with the fraying, from the agitation during the wash cycle.

I agree with taking them out of the dryer slightly damp. Hand-press them down, letting them finish drying. Then, you can press them with an iron, if you like.

The problem with not washing them is, if you ever do wash the quilt, the pieces could shrink at different rates, kinda warping the quilt. You'd hate to have all your hard work be wasted, due to any uneven shrinkage.

If you wash them prior to quilting, those pieces that shrink too much, can be discarded or you can use them in another project.

By Nance (Guest Post)

I'd recommend washing and drying in a hot dryer, while the fabric is still yardage. It's the hot drying that really will do the shrinking (even if it's harder to iron afterwards).

By

msettamae2

What I've done several times is sew the quilt top together, then serge (or zigzag) around all edges. Then wash.

By

MsMolly

I have been quilting for more years than I care to tell. The best thing to do is to wash the fabric while it is still in yards, not made into squares. It is handy to go on and washthe fabric when you buy it then whenever you are ready to sew your fabric will be ready also.

By

QueenBeeCrafts

Di
You can wash or not wash -up to you. If you don't wash before hand, your quilt will get a delightful crinkly look which I like, but others don't seem to like.

To reduce the frays you can try a few different things.
1. cut a small triangle off the corners of your fabrics.
2. use a mesh bag
3. wash on gentle
4. hang to dry on a clothesline or tumble until still damp, then press dry.

hope this helps.

By Grandma Sally (Guest Post)

You will want to wash and iron all the fabric before you create anything, if you want to be able to wash it without spoiling the finished quilt. If the fabric is not pre-washed, it can shrink at varying rates causing lumps and puckers all over your quilt.
The fabric will ravel a bit in the washer, and you can just cut any tangles apart afterwards. Remove the fabric from the washer before it is completely dry, as ironing it will be easier if it is still slightly damp.