I don't know about the chicken or the egg but in my case, which is quilting, what USUALLY comes first is the fabric.

You will hear as many answers to this question as there are quilters. I choose my fabric first and take any inspiration from the fabric to choose the pattern.

For instance: I had this really great fabric with teddy bears, cats and dogs on it. The dominate color was blue, hence, little boy. I chose co-ordinating fabrics to match the teddy bear print and took all the fabrics to my computer and started looking for a pattern that would compliment the fabric. What I found was a pattern called Young Man's Fancy. The name of the pattern was perfect for a little boys quilt and the teddy bears, cats and dogs on the print seemed to match the name too. Without choosing the fabric first I would not have chosen the pattern.

Now here's the kicker --- there are other times that I really like a pattern and would like to learn it so I choose the pattern first. It is an individuals choice to decide. What comes first pattern or fabric? Do what you want to do, whatever inspires you. There are no set rules. Anyway, rules are meant to be broken.

 

Another dilemma for quilters is to pre-wash or not to pre-wash fabric before cutting it up. This again is a personal choice. Some swear that YOU MUST PRE-WASH, others say it's not necessary. I personally DO NOT pre-wash. The idea of ironing and starching all the fabric just does not appeal to me and would take the "fun" out of the process.

HOWEVER, It depends on what you're making. An heirloom quilt? A childs drag-around-love quilt? A quilt that is destined to be an heirloom, I would definitely pre-wash the fabric. Most heirloom quilts are not washed after they are made. They normally don't get dirty, just dusty. Put them in the dryer to shake off the dust. The new knobby balls that you throw in the dryer are perfect. Tennis balls work great also. A childs drag-around-love quilt? Don't take the time to pre-wash, it's going to get dirty and washed a lot. If the colors run a bit the child won't care.

 

If you don't pre-wash as a rule, and you are using a vibrant color you think might run, test it. Snip off a piece of fabric and take a wet piece of muslin and rub it gently across the suspected fabric, if the color comes off on the muslin, pre-wash the fabric, if it doesn't come off on the muslin don't pre-wash it.

 

I absolutely DO NOT wash quilt tops. A quilt top is the finished top of the quilt before it's married up with the backing and batting (the middle). They would ravel and have all kinds of problems. Just don't do it.

 

I do wash many of my finished quilts and have never had a problem with fabrics bleeding. Dark reds, blues, or any other vibrant colors can and do run, it's just that I've never had the problem. If you have bleeding just keep rinsing in cold water until the bleeding goes away. There are products on the market and available in your quilt stores to help with this process.

 

I use 100% cotton in all of my quilts and they do shrink. That's what give the quilt the scrunched look. 100% cotton fabrics will shrink and if you don't want that scrunched look pre-wash the fabric. Pre-washing will take most of the shrinking problems away but not all. How much shrinkage depends on the fabric manufacturer. And even within the manufacturers fabrics shrinkage can differ. It also doesn't seem to matter if the fabric is expensive or cheap. Some will try to tell you differently but my experience has been that it doesn't seem to matter. Always wash in cold water and if you must put in the dryer take out before it is completely dry and lay flat to dry completely.

 

Please look for my products in the Handcrafted or Quilt Tops section.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read The Chicken or the Egg and I hope it's helped.

Judie