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Always pre-wash fabric? Do you ever throw caution to the winds & just cut?
Patti B   Intermediate OR USA Member since 9/29/02 Posts: 2248	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 7:35 PM That's a rhetorical question because I usually do prewash; guess I'm just feeling lazy. I just received an order from Sewzanne's of modal/cotton blend knits and am eager to sew them. I'm wondering if I dare not prewash it. We know that industry doesn't prewash, so why do we? Bring me back to reality, folks! ------ Patti R-r-r-ripping my way to fitting success
JuliaS Intermediate TX USA Member since 3/29/04 Posts: 154	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 7:42 PM No, I never skip prewashing. I even prewash silks and wools. It is partly because I hate the feel and smell of sizing and the other chemicals that they put on the fabric. I'm also one of those people who cannot stand to wear new RTW clothes without laundering them first. DH thinks I'm a little nuts about it, actually.
Lucia/Lyonel Advanced Beginner TX USA Member since 8/11/06 Posts: 198	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 7:46 PM I always always always prewash. ETA: But then, 90% of the garments I plan, and 100% of the ones I make, are of cotton or linen, which is easy to wash. I do have some silk broadcloth that I plan to use some day when I'm feeling braver and/or less OCD, and I've prewashed it too. -- Edited on 5/22/08 7:48 PM --
rhoda bicycle Intermediate SK CANADA Member since 6/26/05 Posts: 1148	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 9:05 PM I always prewash...but... there is an exception. I prewashed Darlexx (lycra with a teflon film bonded to it) the last time I used it for something and it curled up into a Dead Sea Scroll cylinder that was nearly impossible to straighten. If I ever use it for anything again, I'm cutting it as it comes off the bolt with no washing until the garment is done.
KiwiWendy Advanced AUSTRALIA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 2232	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 9:20 PM The last time I didn't prewash the fabric, the dress shrank vertically. It wasn't cheap fabric and I only got to wear the dress once. So even though fabric is supposedly preshrunk these days I never, ever skip the preshrinking process. ------ Sydney, Australia
Patti B   Intermediate OR USA Member since 9/29/02 Posts: 2248	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 10:36 PM Dang, I was hoping for some validation! hee hee The fabric is in the wash as I write this. ------ Patti R-r-r-ripping my way to fitting success
FirecrackerKTM Intermediate CO USA Member since 3/28/08 Posts: 2333	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 10:52 PM I'll back ya up. I don't *every* time. If I am mostly sure it won't shrink, I'll cut and sew. So far this has worked for me but I'm sure it will bite me in the butt someday.
Big Dog Intermediate MI USA Member since 1/22/06 Posts: 1183	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 10:55 PM No, I don't think I could ever cut something without washing and drying it first. It would probably be against my religion ------ Formerly sew*itch
nancy2001   Advanced AL USA Member since 12/3/05 Posts: 6114	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 5/22/08 11:16 PM Sometimes I prewash, and sometimes I don't. It really depends on the fabric I'm using. This is what Susan Huxley says about prewashing in her book Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry: "Prewashing fabric is not always a good idea....Before tossing pieced goods into the washing machine, try conducting a few simple tests. If shrinkage is minimal, there is little reason to scrub off the "new" look and feel of the fabric." ------ The essence of life is statistical improbability on a colossal scale. Richard Dawkins
KiwiWendy Advanced AUSTRALIA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 2232	Login to reply to this post In reply to nancy2001 Like this post Date: 5/23/08 0:27 AM Quote: nancy2001 This is what Susan Huxley says about prewashing in her book Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry: "Prewashing fabric is not always a good idea....Before tossing pieced goods into the washing machine, try conducting a few simple tests. If shrinkage is minimal, there is little reason to scrub off the "new" look and feel of the fabric." For me, well it's going to get washed soon after I wear it, so I might as well know how it's going to be *before* I invest the time in sewing it. Apart from a couple of jackets I don't have anything that gets drycleaned. ------ Sydney, Australia

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