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Member since 5/11/08
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Posted on: 5/10/09 11:45 AM ET
sheesh, my topic description pretty much says it all.

I have been pre-washing my fabric but my biggest concern is running a full cycle for one piece of fabric. Should I be pre- washing each piece of fabric separately or can I put similar colors/fabrics together? Also, should I be using detergent? Finally, how many times do most people pre-wash?

Fot the record, I:
pre-wash each separately
use a small amount of detergent (because fabric sometimes smells funny)
pre-wash one time

Thanks from a 1 year sewist!
marec
  
Member since 1/20/08
Posts: 1301
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Posted on: 5/10/09 12:06 PM ET
In reply to marec
If I am concerned that the colors might run, I set the machine for the smallest load and wash it separately.

Otherwise, I wash it just the way I will when it is sewn...darks with darks, lights with lights.

I treat it a touch worse than I will after the garment is finished...I rarely wash my clothing in hot water, but will pre-wash fabric in hot water just to make sure that it has already received the worst treatment possible. That way, I know if it is attacked by "Man Hands," and my husband decides to do me a favor and wash it for me, then there is no way what "The Man Hands" do to it will ruin it.

I always use detergent, just like a regular wash.

The only exception to this is flannel, which shrinks madly. I wash and dry it quite a few times. Also, anything that I will have drycleaned after sewing I don't wash. But I will take the fabric to my drycleaner and have them clean it for me prior to sewing. They only charge me a few dollars for this. They have even blocked the seams for me of a particularly fussy satin while the dress was half-finished. They are pretty much used to the odd requests now.
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Michelle

http://cheapandpicky.blogspot.com/
  
Member since 12/1/08
Posts: 70
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Posted on: 5/10/09 12:24 PM ET
I've been asking myself these same questions alot! For me, I always use detergent and I pre-wash with similar colors (usually only with other new fabrics; once in a while I'll wash it with regular clothes if my yardage is small and I want to use that fabric right away but don't want to waste water).

If I'm just washing new fabrics together I select the "super quick wash" option on my machine.

I've never run into the problem of bleeding colors and probably haven't experienced that problem in a very long time.
  
Member since 3/21/09
Posts: 35
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Posted on: 5/10/09 1:44 PM ET
Another tip when washing new fabric (or new store bought clothes) is to use a Shout Color Catcher in the washer. The product is available in the laundry aisle of your grocery store. It captures loose dyes and protects your fabric and clothes from color transfers. Yesterday I washed a new red t-shirt with white embroidery using a warm wash and cold rinse--the white stayed white and the Color Catcher came out pink. I have washed different colors of new fabric together using Color Catchers without any colors bleeding. Just follow the directions on the box of Color Catchers. And no, I do not work for SC Johnson. It is a great product--try it!
  
Member since 7/18/05
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Posted on: 5/10/09 2:29 PM ET
I'm lazy with laundry and I just throw the fabric all in together with a regular load of laundry. I mix darks and lights together frequently. Never had a problem with bleeding.
  
Member since 5/11/08
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Posted on: 5/10/09 2:41 PM ET
Thanks everyone, I appreciate the info. Michelle, I LOL at "The Man Hands". No chance of that in this house as we do our own laundry...that and oil changes are just not shared chores.

Good tip on the Color Catcher-thanks.

I vowed (and have stuck to it) that any fabric coming into the house would be immediately washed. That meant that I started running loads for 3 yds there and 2 yards here. It was really bugging me to use the water and power for a small load.

  
Member since 6/7/05
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Posted on: 5/10/09 3:39 PM ET
I just run it though with the family laundry unless it is a dark solid color. Prints very rarely bleed, but a solid may. If in doubt, I'll wash red fabric with any red clothes in the hamper and my burgandy towels.

I think dye running is nearly a thing of the past. I used to pre soak every piece of fabric, then, if the color didn't run, threw it in the washer. I quit doing that about 15 years ago, and have only had one fabric (solid dk red) bleed enough for it to matter in the 1000+ yards since.

I also run fabric through the dryer as part of it's pre-conditioning. Although a finished garment may get air dryed in the future, I want any damage that may happen to happen now.
  
Member since 5/19/06
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Posted on: 5/10/09 3:44 PM ET
I don't usually bother with a full wash cycle when I pre-wash fabric alone. My washer has a quick cycle that is long enough to get the fabric wet, then rinses and spins it. I do use just a little detergent in case the fabric is changed by it, and then dry the fabric as I intend to care for the garment at the hottest temperature I expect to use. I put several pieces in together, as much as I think can be dried together without a tangled wad in the dryer. Pre-washing basically just requires that the fabric get wet (assuming a water-based cleaning) with the temperature you will be using, and then dry it the way you will dry the end product. Prolonged agitation is not necessary unless you want to full a woolen or you want to break up a stiff fabric to soften it. When I pre-wash rayons, I do wash at least twice or three times because they shrink so much (and leave a LOT of lint in the lint screen of the dryer), and sometimes I will pre-wash a stiff fabric a second time with a fabric softener if the first pre-wash doesn't loosen it up as much as I'd like. I agree with the color catcher sheets. I especially use them if I do wash the fabric with a load of laundry, and I use more than one when I toss them in, just in case.
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Fictionfan
  
Member since 4/8/08
Posts: 10077
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Posted on: 5/10/09 5:51 PM ET
Another vote for the Colour Catchers -- I haven't seen them on Canadian shelves yet but I pick up several boxes whenever we head down to the U.S. My daughter has just gotten in the habit of picking them up for me whenever she goes down.

I use the Colour Catchers with fabric and with clothes -- it's saved many a loads from dye bleed.

I pre-wash fabrics with like coloured/shade fabrics. I don't use detergent and I use a shorter wash cycle -- warm water wash and cold water rinse since that's all that I ever use. I throw a dryer sheet in with the pre-washed fabric and dry at a regular temperature.

If the fabric is prone to ravelling, I run the cut edges through the serger before washing.


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Sheila
"sewing very slowly to fill an empty closet"
Stash Tally: net +46.375 yds (2014 to 2020); net +48.0 (2021); net +57.125 (2022); net +109.875 (2023)- Stash Tally 2024: 77.5 yds out/90.375 yds in (net + 12.875 yds)

2025 Stash Busting:
0 yds sewn (as of 01/01/25)
0 yds purchased/received (as of 01/01/25)
  
Member since 7/23/07
Posts: 7276
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Posted on: 5/11/09 10:27 AM ET
I just saw Colour Catchers in the grocery store yesterday, so they are in Canada now - at least in the west.

I haven't had a lot of trouble with colours bleeding, though I am very careful with reds. They seem to be the worst culprits. The one exception was last summer when I did a print flannelet baby blanket with a solid flannelet border for a gift. In spite of pre-washing a few times, the border ran when I did a final wash and fluff. I couldn't find the print again and had to go with a 2nd choice. I still have some of the solid colour left and will be sure to pick up some CC's if I ever decide to use it.
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http://bgballroom.wordpress.com to follow the progress on my next ballgown.
  
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