Quilting

Pros And Cons Of Pre-washing The Quilt Fabrics

The issue of pre washing the quilt fabrics is often debated upon. There are equal number of quilters who support both the options. However to determine your course of action, you can first take a look at the pros and cons of pre washing your quilt fabric.

Advantages:

Pre washing quit fabrics involves washing the fabrics before the final cuts are made. There are many advantages of washing the fabric before putting it to use. This is the most effective way of ensuring that the fabric is of good quality. Sometimes, fabrics can be coloured with inappropriate dyes that can stain the other parts of the quilt if you wash such fabrics later. Pre washing such fabrics can remove difficulties in this regard. Pre washing also removes dirt and germs, which result primarily out of frequent handling of the fabrics.

You can also understand the perfect colurs shades of your fabric if you pre wash it effectively. Sometimes, some types of fabrics like cotton fabrics may shrink significantly after a wash. If you choose to wash the quilt after it is made, chances are that your quilt can also shrink inappropriately where the cotton patches are used. All these advantages indeed lead many to believe that pre washing is the best option for their unfinished quilts.

Disadvantages:

Sometimes quilters rush to pre wash their fabric even before they have decided what they want to do with it. This can highly limit your options regarding the fabrics. Sometimes even harsh detergents can cause damage to the raw fabrics. Hence avoid washing the fabric if mild detergents are not available. Many also believe that the natural stiffness of the material vanishes after a pre wash. This can make it tricky to work with. Thus many prefer to leave their fabric the way it is. This also gives an authentic and natural look to their finished quilts.

Thus, to decide whether you want to pre wash your fabric or not, see to it that you weigh the pros and cons appropriately, before making the final decision.

Quilting