Why you should pre-wash your fabrics
I am a big advocate to pre-wash your fabrics, even for items that are not worn and here are my reasons why:
- Some fabrics tend to shrink once they are washed. Pre-washing prevents your finished garment from shrinking and warping. Hence you won’t end up giving the garment you spend so much time making to someone of a smaller size.
- If you choose to combine different types of fabrics in the garment, fabrics shrink at different levels. As a result, you could end up if with a final product that has an uneven finish
- This one is important, especially with linens and dyed not printed fabrics, they tend to bleed. Therefore, if you make a beautiful product that is white and red, you could end up with pink instead of white.
- Some Fabrics like cotton may be penetrated with starch to make them stiff and shiny. Hence the Pre-wash helps remove said additives and shows the real texture of the fabrics and easier to handle.
- You never know where these fabrics have been stored in warehouses. Which could mean that there are critters and such that put souvenirs in the fabrics? So Pre-wash is a good idea to get rid of any unwanted germs.
Some tips for pre-washing
- I recommend washing the fabrics at the same settings as you would when the project is finished, that will prevent further shrinkage.
- Some people like to zig-zag the edges to avoid fraying (I am not one of them)
- Delicate fabrics may be better off to hand wash or delicate cycle and line dry, that prevents the fabrics from getting damaged.
- Knitted wool should be washed by hand in cold water (to prevent felting and shrinking), dry flat.
- After Pre-Washing, iron your fabric, it will be so much easier to cut.
I hope this tips help you and make your decision to wash your fabrics first easier.
Happy Sewing!
Agreed. I’m big on washing everything after it’s been in the stores and factories, really. I second the impulse to get rid of all the germs! lol
😀