Tips for Pre-Washing Fabric?

[NicoleBridget]

Ok ok...I'm finally ready to do it the right way...I'll start to pre-wash my fabrics.  Does anyone have any tips?  What temperature do you wash on?  How many times through the wash is sufficient?  Do I have to do anything to the edges to keep the fray to a minimum?  I assume the answer to all these questions vary according to the type of fabric.  Do you have some basic tips to share?

[Taffy Saltwater]

If you felt so inclined, you could do a large zigzag stitch on the raw edges.  I've only ever washed once in warm/warm to remove sizing and then dry the bejabbers out of the fabric on the highest setting it will tolerate to get the maximum shrinkage out of the way.  I don't cut it into smaller pieces, just throw the whole hunk in.

[NicoleBridget]

Thank you Taffy!  Just what I was looking for.  Great idea on the zigzag.  It wouldn't take much time either...

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Taffy's right!!!

Besure all edges are well secured with some sort of bastitng stich. You may want to serge the top and bottom edges of your fabric to avoid ravelling. Be sure to iron said fabric after it has been dryed.

[Adriana Rose]

I always forget and put more than one lenght of 6 yards+ in the wash togeather... They get soo knotted up

Then they get more knotted in the dryer!


SO remember to only put one big lenght on the wash at a time unless you feel like unravling for a long time!

[Master James]

Yup we serge the ends and then wash in HOT and dry as LONG as possible.  That will ensure that the fabric never shrinks again and gets all the loose dye out so it doesn't bleed when it rains.

[Randal]

I fold the material in 1/2 so that the raw edges are together, then run a quick straight stitch down them to make a tube. This then goes into the washer and gets the same treatment I'll give the finished garment.

Once it's dry, I cut off the strip with the stitching, then iron the fabric.

Randal

[gem]

And it depends on the fabric, of course.  Linen you'll want to run through three or four times, since it has "progressive shrinkage," and you want to get that out of the way as soon as possible.  It also responds *beautifully* to abuse in the washer/dryer: by become softer and less wrinkly.

I make sure to load the fabric *loosely,* in the washer, and remove it IMMEDIATELY as soon as the wash cycle is over (so it doesn't sit in a wet, wrinkled heap and have all those creases set in), shake it out so it's not a twisted rope in the dryer, and--again--remove it promptly from the dryer. I've had fabrics come out of the dryer hardly needing to be ironed, because I rescued them quickly enough.

Except for wool (for which I bought some Woolite), I don't use soap in the pre-wash--just the warmest water the fabric can stand.

[PrincessSara]

How does one prewash wool flannel?

[mollymishap]

I just did a search and couldn't find the site where I originally read about it, so I can't explain the "why" of the thing, but I understand that it's not only the washing that can cause a fabric to shrink, it's also the dryer's heat and/or the tumbling action that can contribute to the fibres shrinking, etc.  So that you might be able to pre-wash the fabric before you make something that you NEVER intend on drying in the dryer, and be OK with just drip-drying the finished garb.   Just pray no one ever decides to be helpful and do your laundry for you...

I also remember reading that some fibres, once they start shrinking will continue to shrink but again, I don't remember the why of the thing...

maybe our Link Goddess has better results than I did with a search...(hint, hint, Gem)...

OH, and about that wool flannel...wool is one of those fibres that will do funny things when dried in the dryer--I believe it's generally not recommended to tumble dry your woolens, but you can hand wash and what I do is wring the garment in a dry, clean bath towel--gently--then I lay it flat to air dry.  I've never washed wool flannel, but if I had to, I'd probably do the same thing.  HTH, Princess Sara

[LadyShadow]

Wool shrinks like you wont believe in the dryer.  I accidentally did that one day   Too busy to pay attention and ruined the wool, it became a children's shirt after that mistake.

Depending on the fabric and color, I was a couple of times on warm or hot to get the shrinking and bleeding out of the way.  I had bought some fabric that i had washed once, dried and the color was wearing off onto my hands as I was trying to work with it, ended up washing it a couple of more times before it stopped.

[gem]

I *don't* pre-wash my wool flannel, but I do steam it in the dryer before sewing it.  I put the wool in the dryer with a wet (not *dripping,* but not completely wrung-out, either) towel, on high, and run the dryer until the towel is absolutely dry.  It works beautifully for steaming out wrinkles and making garments snap back into shape after wearing them.

Technically, you're supposed to either take your woolens (like flannel) to the dry cleaner, so they can "steam shrink" it there for you, or go through a process of  rolling the wool in damp sheets.  But I don't really have a dry cleaner I trust, so I've done this steam method for a while.  I don't know if it actually accomplishes much in terms of *shrinking* the fabric (tho' that would be easy to test), but it is how I treat my woolens after they're sewn up.

ETA:  I found the information for what I guess is called the "London Shrink" method?  This is quoted from Constance Talbot in The Complete Book of Sewing, 1943:

To shrink wools or worsteds at home, soak two sheets or long strips of muslin in cold water. Spread out single and lay it flat on one of the soaked sheets. Place the other wet sheet over the material and then roll tightly. Wrap the outside of the roll with paper, dry sheets, or a blanket, so that the moisture has an opportunity to penetrate. After 24 hours, remove the fabric and press it until it is dry.

[Sorcha]

Wow...  I've never heard of that London Shrink method. 
I usually use your method Gem.  Wet towel in the dryer works for me!

[WaywardWench]

I sew the ends together selvage to selvage to form a tube as well. However I read a tip somewhere and incorporate a moebius loop. I match the ends then make a flip of one side to make one twist in the loop before sewing. It chases itself out the knots in the washer and dryer.

[NicoleBridget]

My thanks to everyone for the input here!  I'm going to just print out the whole thread and stick it into my "how to" blinder!

[Manwariel]

When you pre-wash fabric (plain 100% cotton in this case) and want to do it several times to soften the fabric, do you dry it every time?

[I. Stewart]

I always prewash wool.  I want it to shrink and full as much as possible before I use it.

[Auryn]

Great thread.
Thanks to the help of a lovely woman at my favorite JoAnn's I learned to prewash fabric last year.
Here is my dillemma.
Everyone here washes in hot water and throws it in the dryer.
my question is, do you do that to the finished garment or your regular clothes also??

I ask because even just my regular everyday clothes, I was in the cold/cold cycle and I always hang them up to dry.
The only things that get sent to the dryer are towels, bed sheets, table cloths and socks.

I've washed my garb several times now the same way I wash my regular clothes and haven't suffered any shrinkage yet- granted ive used all cottons or synthetics.

I'm trying to figure out if I should be washing in hot water and sending it to the dryer even if I will never do that to the finished garment.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Here in the UK most garment fabric is sold 'needle ready' - that is ready to sew as it is.  So I usually only pre-wash if it is dusty or dirty from adverse storage (and then I want to have bought it REALLY cheap!).  However, I ALWAYS pre-wash linen, and I wash and dry it as I want to treat the finished garment.  If the garment is white, that usually means a hot wash and tumble dry.

I will wash cotton curtain fabric that I want to use for garments.  For some reason, curtain fabric is never pre-shrunk, so it's always a good idea to wash and dry that as you want to treat the completed outfit.

Other than that, I usually only wash fabric I'm going to dye.

[LadyShadow]

I always wash my fabric in hot water and then dry.  But my finished peices I was in cold water and still throw in the dryer, but on a gentler setting.