After Washing

That's pretty much how I sort mine too Leslie, well sort of. So far I have
mine sorted by hand-dyed, baby fabrics, solids, all the rest, then by color.
That's all the shelf space I had for sorting. I'll have more room to sort
further when we get moved though. I had totally forgotten about starch
attracting bugs. Thanks for reminding me of that.

Hugs,
Mika

"Leslie& The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message
...
I wash and dry mine without using any fabric softeners- if I want to use a
fusible then I don't have to think about whether it's been softened or not.
I fold it all about the same way and size so the stacks are neat, sort by
color and/or type (batiks, hand-dyed, novelties and Christmas and then
sorted by color family) and then add it to the stash- no starching or
ironing. Starch can attract bugs and if I bothered with ironing at that
point I'd most likely have to iron it again by the time I got around to
using it..... which could be years since I buy fabric on a whim and use it
to 'feed my stash' and insulate the walls of my 'studio'. This has worked
for me for 20+ years and I'm not going to change now! ;-)

But then we all have our own way of doing things and variety *is* the
spice of life!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"Mika" wrote in message
...
I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it
to the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it
comes out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once
it comes out of the dryer?

I'm thinking I might have to wash all my fabric after we move and I'm not
sure what I want to do with it after washing it. That leads me to ask
what everyone here prefers. I know it's a matter of personal preference
but I like to get other opinions when I'm straddling the fence on
something like this. I have always been one to just refold the fabric and
add it to the stash without washing so I don't have a particular
procedure or way of doing things. Well, I do have a specific way that my
fabric has to be folded but we'll not go there for now. So let me know
what you all do with your fabric after you wash and dry it. Thanks
everyone.
--
Hugs,
Mika
Queen of PaperPiece Klutzdom

Just to have it nice and fresh again. After sitting on the shelf it has
collected dust just like everything else in the house collects dust.

Hugs,
Mika

"Val" wrote in message
...

"Mika" wrote in message
...

I'm thinking I might have to wash all my fabric after we move

why?

Val

Mika wrote:
I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it to
the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it comes
out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once it comes
out of the dryer?

I'm thinking I might have to wash all my fabric after we move and I'm not
sure what I want to do with it after washing it. That leads me to ask what
everyone here prefers. I know it's a matter of personal preference but I
like to get other opinions when I'm straddling the fence on something like
this. I have always been one to just refold the fabric and add it to the
stash without washing so I don't have a particular procedure or way of doing
things. Well, I do have a specific way that my fabric has to be folded but
we'll not go there for now. So let me know what you all do with your fabric
after you wash and dry it. Thanks everyone.

I am so excited for you that you are getting close to your move! I wash
my fabrics and run them through the dryer. I figure that is what will
probably happen to them once they are in a quilt or garment. I NEVER
starch anything that won't be washed or used soon. We have interloping
silverfish here and they love to eat starch. I would suspect other bugs
like to dine on starch too. If the fabric comes out of the dryer really
wrinkled I do iron it but usually I just fold it until I am ready to use
it and then iron and starch if necessary.
Happy Packing!
Taria

"Mika" wrote in message
...
I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it
to the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it
comes out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once it
comes out of the dryer?

I wash, dry, fold, put on shelves.

I work from stash a lot, and fabrics get auditioned many times before
they're used. If I ironed them right away, they'd simply get wrinkled again
before I used them.

I don't use starch on any of my fabrics. I haven't found the benefits to
outweigh the hassle and nasty feeling on my hands.

--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)
Queen of Fabric Tramps

remove the obvious to reply
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyapplebaum/

I wash, no softener, dry in dryer, and only iron if the fabric is too
wrinkled to fold neatly.
For longer yardage, I fan fold in half yard folds. Then I fold the whole
thing to about 6 inches wide, fold the fold to the selvedge edge. All my
fabric is folded this way. When stacked on shelves, I see the fold, and by
checking how many layers, I can tell how big a piece is available.
Anything 3yds or more, I store on the cardboard bolts and store under the
end of my sewing table.

--
Susan
in Zephyrhills FL for the winter
http://community.webshots.com/user/sbtinkingston
"Kathy Applebaum" wrote in message
news

"Mika" wrote in message
...
I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it
to the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it
comes out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once
it comes out of the dryer?

I wash, dry, fold, put on shelves.

I work from stash a lot, and fabrics get auditioned many times before
they're used. If I ironed them right away, they'd simply get wrinkled
again before I used them.

I don't use starch on any of my fabrics. I haven't found the benefits to
outweigh the hassle and nasty feeling on my hands.

--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)
Queen of Fabric Tramps

remove the obvious to reply
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyapplebaum/

On Mon, 9 Feb 2009 23:06:38 -0500, "Mika"
wrote:

I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it to
the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it comes
out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once it comes
out of the dryer?

I never use softener on unworked fabrics.
Nothing ever gets starched prior to storage.
I don't usually iron cotton before storage.
Generally it is just folded as it comes out.
However yardage is usually examined prior to folding, and if the grain
has gone a bit wonky it will get rewashed and hung with weight to pull
it back as it should be.

NightMist
--

Nothing has been the same since that house fell on my sister.

MIka:
Yes, I wash every piece of fabric. I carefully fold and store the fabric as
it comes out of the dryer. IT would be a waste of time to press it before
storing, as I'd need to press again to use it. Starch? Rarely use it, and
certainly do not store starched fabric. I too have a specific way of folding
fabric .... glad to know I'm not the only one! LOL
PAT

"Mika" wrote in message
...
I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it
to the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it
comes out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once it
comes out of the dryer?

I'm thinking I might have to wash all my fabric after we move and I'm not
sure what I want to do with it after washing it. That leads me to ask what
everyone here prefers. I know it's a matter of personal preference but I
like to get other opinions when I'm straddling the fence on something like
this. I have always been one to just refold the fabric and add it to the
stash without washing so I don't have a particular procedure or way of
doing things. Well, I do have a specific way that my fabric has to be
folded but we'll not go there for now. So let me know what you all do with
your fabric after you wash and dry it. Thanks everyone.
--
Hugs,
Mika
Queen of PaperPiece Klutzdom

After purchase, I re-fold each peice, whether a FQ or yardage to fit
my shelving.
When i decide upon which fabrics i'm going to work with on a project,
i then wash, dry and steam iron each peice.
if i buy a peice of fabric that has a stiffness to it from the store,
i will wash and dry that too, so that the factory starch doesnt
attract the bugs.
Ladybugs like starch too. we have loads of them...my vaccuum loves
them!!

amy in CNY

Take it out of the dryer, smooth it, fold it , stick it in the closet on a
shelf with like colors.
Gen

"Mika" wrote in message
...
I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it
to the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it
comes out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once it
comes out of the dryer?

I'm thinking I might have to wash all my fabric after we move and I'm not
sure what I want to do with it after washing it. That leads me to ask what
everyone here prefers. I know it's a matter of personal preference but I
like to get other opinions when I'm straddling the fence on something like
this. I have always been one to just refold the fabric and add it to the
stash without washing so I don't have a particular procedure or way of
doing things. Well, I do have a specific way that my fabric has to be
folded but we'll not go there for now. So let me know what you all do with
your fabric after you wash and dry it. Thanks everyone.
--
Hugs,
Mika
Queen of PaperPiece Klutzdom

In article ,
"Mika" wrote:

I have a question for all of those who wash their fabric before adding it to
the stash. After you wash it do you iron it? Starch it? Fold it as it comes
out of the dryer? What is your process of storing your fabric once it comes
out of the dryer?

I'm thinking I might have to wash all my fabric after we move and I'm not
sure what I want to do with it after washing it. That leads me to ask what
everyone here prefers. I know it's a matter of personal preference but I
like to get other opinions when I'm straddling the fence on something like
this. I have always been one to just refold the fabric and add it to the
stash without washing so I don't have a particular procedure or way of doing
things. Well, I do have a specific way that my fabric has to be folded but
we'll not go there for now. So let me know what you all do with your fabric
after you wash and dry it. Thanks everyone.


I tried not ironing my fabric after I wash it, but it gets too bulky
because of wrinkles and so on -- no amount of smoothing takes care of
that for me. G So I do iron, but I don't obsess about getting it
perfect, since I know I'm going to have to do it again after its been in
the stash for a time and gets crushed. LOL!

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sw.foster1 (at) gmail (dot) com (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net