Prewashing of fabric, yes or no?
There is a wide discussion about prewashing fabrics before use. It is totally a personal choice. At Alan Teather Quilting we do unfold all fabrics then prewash these before we use them ON OUR OWN CREATIONS ONLY. We find this helps to reduce any possible uneven shrinkage when the final article comes to be washed. Different manufacturers of fabric use different production procedures so it stands to reason that if a quilter uses fabric from different makers then they may find a difference in shrinkage or dye compatibility with the final piece. For commissions that we make we always explain to the client the pros and cons of prewashing or not and they make the decision as to wether we pre-wash or not.
Also, as a guideline, we use basic washing rules for fabrics such as washing all light fabrics apart from dark fabrics. You could go a step further and wash light coloured fabrics from the same manufacturer together if it is for that oh so special quilt. We preferably, use a phosphate free detergent, (soap flakes) soak dark colours for up to 1.5 hours in cold water before machine washing. We use a low temperature of 20 degrees celcius or 68 degrees Fahrenheit and short spin cycle of 800 revs. For our creations we tend to dry our fabric on a washing line rather than a tumble dry. After this we always iron our fabrics before we use them.