Please come in if you sew...

BetchySprout · May 2010

Up until now all the fabric I have used has been pillaged from my mom's stash.

I went out and bought my own today and have a dumb question. Does it need to be washed before I use it? Dumb, I know, but it has never come up before!! Won't the edges fray and stuff? I got two things of (generic) minkee and some cotton fabric.

Thanks!!

*speedracer* · May 2010

i always do, because it shrinks a bit and if you combine fabrics they might not shrink the same way when your project is done and it will look wonky.

RubyRed1085 · May 2010

I always thought you had to wash EVERYTHING before you use it. I've found that when I don't, it can shrink and what not after it's made resulting in a really crappy final product. The edges fray, but you cut them anyway.

Sapphyr · May 2010

Yes. You need to wash on hot to preshrink the fabric and for color fastness. The edges will fray on the cotton but not the minkee.

pixy_stix · May 2010

Chiming in, yup, wash everything. Some say you can just wash in what you will normally wash whatever you making in. I, however, wash everything on super hot to get it to shrink, and then dry it in the dryer.

Also, once it's dry remember to iron everything that's wrinkled.

BetchySprout · May 2010

pixy_stix:
Chiming in, yup, wash everything. Some say you can just wash in what you will normally wash whatever you making in. I, however, wash everything on super hot to get it to shrink, and then dry it in the dryer.
Also, once it's dry remember to iron everything that's wrinkled.

Can I iron minkee?

(I sound so freaking stupid, I know)

Sapphyr · May 2010

The minkee should come out of the dryer fine. It takes a lot of abuse to become wrinkled.

HappyHearts · May 2010

I also prewash because some fabrics can be treated with formaldehyde and that freaks me out to be working with it unwashed.

jwpbride · May 2010

DItto everyone else- one trick that I've found that helps with the edges fraying is to clip a teeny line at each very corner of the fabric at a 45 degree angle. That helps mine not to fray- not really sure why but that's what I do!

ETA: I realized that my description may have not made sense- here's a pic. You may all marvel at my "paint" skillz.