[Sarvi]

I have two City Weekend charm packs that I’d like to make into a small quilt for my daughter. I plan to machine wash them cold and line dry — do I need to prewash? I worry about the wee squares fraying away (although they’re pinked already). Is there much shrinkage or color loss with these fabrics? I had no color bleeding and only a modest amount of shrinkage with the interlock, though I was expecting more. Cut am 18m Sailboat top from 1 yard and had loads left over.

[lattemama]

Don’t prewash the charm pack! They will fray. They may shrink a little when you wash the quilt but that will only make it more wrinkly and squishy.

Good luck!

[millie]

As far as I understand, if something is fully lined, as a quilt would be, the seams don’t fray. It is the friction between the seams, and your other clothes that make seams fray, where as if something if lined there is no friction against the seams, so they don’t fray.

I may be wrong about that!

I have never pre-washed any precut quilt fabric, and so far, so good. Mind you I bought some “Colour-catchers” today to wash the quilt I am currently working on, seeing as it is more than 50% white, and the coloured squares are from various manufacturers.

[Sarvi]

Oh, color catchers a good idea. Thanks for the tips ladies, I am so happy not to have to prewash and press all these. The stitching pattern I have in mind will hammer them down pretty solidly anyhow.