should i wash and dry fabric befor i start?

[mothersmilkandherchickenseggs]

im making my first little project on my new machine its a simple pillow case dress for dd im not using an actual pillowcase but some poly/cotton mix should it be laundered befor i make the dress im asumimg to do with shrinking
thanks

nope!!! :D

if its a poly cotton mix, shrinkage will be nearly non existant. And to be honest other than wool mixes being washed well wrong, I have never come across a fabric that has shrunk...might just be me tho. x

thanks means i can get on with it now even better!!

does a dance x

also as an nb: most distortions in fabric oncethe item is made tend to be when the pattern pieces have been cut differently on the grain, ie diagnoley (sp) !! or at rights angles.

just follow the arrows on pattern pieces or cut them all one way up and you'll be fine

We advise people to wash fabrics before use, as most of our materials are 100% cotton, but I actually think the 4-6% shrinkage we list is if you wash it at 60 degrees. Most people don't bother washing things that hot nowadays.

The only other reasons to wash would be to remove any finish on the fabrics, plus fabric has a tendency to be more grubby than you think. We've unrolled bales to find all sorts of squished things inside (factories tend to be big and airy with birds flying around the rafters from the evidence that crops up...) TBH though, I tend to make things then wash them (or not, when I was young and impatient and I'd knock up a skirt half an hour before I was due to go out!)

Depends how worried you are about shrinkage.

With a woven polycotton it should be minimal, but I got some jersey that feel very cotton rich and washed a test square (just on 30 deg) and a c. 6" square lost at least 1/2". I also bought a jersey skirt that shrank from tripping over long to above then ankle when I washed it.

I know my mum never bothered, but my recent experience has made me a bit cautious.

Allthough I do tend to wash pure cotton and wool and do a test suare on silk, I don't think polycotton will be a problem.

A word of warning though; Always wash upholstery fabric before using, it is notorious for shrinkage.

An easy way to test is the square method mentioned above, cut a 10 centimetre square and wash as you would finished garment, remeasure square when dry and see if it's shrunk! It's also a good idea to check the material is on the straight grain but you should'nt have too much trouble with a pillowcase dress.

100% cotton- yes I do. Dull but necessary in my opinion. a recent purchase shrank quite dramatically- and unevenly. Especially for things like quilts where more than one fabric is used.