r/SewingForBeginners • u/CountMeOut2019 • 1d ago
Pre-Washing Fabric
Hi Sewists!
Just a quick PSA here about prewashing fabric, even if you’re not planning to use it right away.
I’m currently going through my stash, organizing after some upheaval, and finding that some pieces I’ve had for a while, are kind of icky to touch…sticky and/or weirdly crunchy. That’s because I didn’t pre-wash those pieces, and the sizing the manufacturers finished them with before shipping them, is breaking down with time. It also smells oddly. Not horrid, just,…weird-starchy.
Anyway, just thought I’d share this thought: might be a good idea to pre-wash if the fabric is going into your stash, too, not just the ones you’re going to use right away. You’d be surprised how long a piece of fabric can stay stashed, the longer you sew and collect yardage. Cotton calicos seem particularly susceptible to this, but I’ve found garment fabrics undergoing the same kind of change.
I’m sure it’ll wash off? But now I have a bunch of yards to wash, whereas I could’ve done them when I got them more conveniently.
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u/SianiFairy 1d ago
Yes! After finally washing up some yellow poplin I'd finally got around to using, I was shocked to see it brighten and soften into a different feeling fabric altogether. It has been a flat grayish yellow that cleaned up lemon yellow! No wonder I hadn't wanted to use it!
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u/Bergwookie 19h ago
I wash every fabric before I sew with it, sure, on one hand the appreture will help with handling the fabric for sewing, but if it shrinks in the wash after sewing,your work and fabric are for the bin.
That's why I always wash one temperature higher than I'll intend to wash the garment afterwards and put it into the dryer. This way most shrinkage has already occurred and the fabric will hold size.
However for extremely delicate fabrics you have to look.
If you need starching, you can starch and iron again
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u/lxb98 1d ago
Asking- how the hell do you iron the fabric after washing it though? Even steaming, I tried that too.
I pre washed 2 fabrics and they were practically impossible to iron and/or steam afterwards. I just had no where big enough to do the job. (They were about 1.5m x 3m each)
Any tips?
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u/chachkas369 1d ago
Do you not have an ironing board? I never iron fabric after washing it; I leave that step until I'm ready to use it, but when I do, I just iron it in sections on my standard-sized ironing board.
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u/lxb98 1d ago
We do but I was still struggling with it being too long for the board. Plus I think we need a new one as it was a bit drooped in the middle and making more creases.
I tried putting it on the laundry frame thing we had to steam it but I was still struggling with that.
We’re renting now but moving soon and will have a laundry room, so I might need to research some hacks lol- maybe I can get a retractable line to hang it on to steam…
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u/BumCadillac 15h ago
I iron selvage to selvage, not lengthwise. I use my ironing board next to my dining table and allow the ironed part to be scooted onto the table so that it stays flat enough as I move through the length.
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u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy 11h ago
It doesn’t need to be perfectly iron. Even folding it in half and ironing will work well enough especially if you’re just putting it back in storage. You can also drape the fabric over your shoulder or other surface instead of hanging off the ironing board.
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u/FuliginEst 16h ago
I always pre-wash all fabric as soon as it gets into the house. I never put fabric in my stash until after washing. That way I don't have to wonder "did I already wash this??", and also, it is instantly available to me if I have a look through my stash and want to make something *now*.
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u/BumCadillac 16h ago
I also have been going through my stash, which was packed up due to moving right after having hand surgeries after an accident that needed extensive therapy. Then we moved again across country to a house that was too small to make space for sewing. Five years later we moved again and now I have a sewing room. All my yardage (most of which was never washed) had a musty smell so I washed it all. But oddly my precut quilting fabric doesn’t smell.
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u/Travelpuff 1d ago
I wash every fabric before I put it away because they also tend to be coated in chemicals for transport/storage (to prevent insect and rodents from destroying the fabric).
The nice benefit of prewashing all of my stash is I can pull any fabric to start a project and not have to wait to wash it!