How To Prep Fabric Before Sewing. (Making a Pillow Cover for my King Sized Pillows: Part 1)

Last week I received two king sized pillows from the Downlite Bedding Company. They are the most softest and fluffiest pillows to the touch. (If you want to see my pillows go here and use the coupon code: DYGEN15 for a 15% off everything in their store).

Before I get to talking about my sewing project, let me tell you about these pillows. I get one and since the pillow is a king size it’s big enough for my husband to use the other one as a body pillow.

The first night I slept with it was uncomfortable. I couldn’t get myself cozy enough with it. I wonder if it was due to having to get used to a new pillow because after that I was able to sleep like a baby. No matter what position I was in it was so comfortable. Since I’m expecting, I’m always tossing and turning. But I can get myself comfortable in one position (which is very rare for me at this point of pregnancy). I sleep on my back with my head turned to the side cuddling on the pillow which supports my face just like I like it. And I’m out! I’m half way to my second trimester, so the baby is small enough I can sleep on my back still.

Since getting the pillows I couldn’t wait till I sew my own pillow cases for these. I went fabric shopping right away!

So far I only got to sewing one. I know, it’s been a week and I only got to sew one pillow case?! Well, this past week was a very busy one. It was Thanksgiving week! So much to do, and we were going to be out of town for the holiday and I had to bring a few things for the sleep over and Thanksgiving dinner/desserts. Even though I wasn’t hosting Thanksgiving, I was still helping to clean and cook then clean some more. It is never ending isn’t it? I’m sure you know.

Once we got home, I started prepping the three fabrics I bought by pre-washing them.

The reason I pre-wash my fabric is because this helps the fabric to establish its shrinkage. Every fabric out there shrinks. I don’t want to have spent all my time measuring, ironing, and sewing just to finish my sewing project to be uneven once I wash it after use all because I skipped this one step.

You will find the information on the percentage of the shrinkage of your fabric on the label of the fabric bolt. Not all fabric have that info but it’s always good to check anyway. So before purchasing the fabric look at the instructions and information on your particular fabric and how to wash and dry your particular fabric. Every fabric is different. I suggest writing it down on a piece of paper so you remember along with the description of your fabric.

Before putting my fabrics in the washer, all I do is sew the cut ends by a quarter of an inch. Then put them in the washer machine. Pre-sewing prevents the fabric from fraying any further when it’s in the wash. 

I then placed my fabrics in the dryer. Once they were done drying, I lay them out to cool down before ironing them. Or you can fold them to store them for later sewing projects if you’re not going to use them right away.

And that is how I prep my fabrics before doing any sewing that require washing later after use. The only time I don’t pre-wash is if I’m going to use the fabric for other items such as my ornaments since I won’t be tossing them in the washer. If those little items get dirty I just dust the dirt off or use a wash cloth to spot clean.

I hope this blog post was helpful and enjoyable to you. See you next time! To read and receive any of my new future blog posts subscribe to my email list up on top-right hand side of this page. Thank you so much!

This post is not sponsored. Pillows were given to me through my Instagram account in return for pictures. My opinions and projects are honest and my own.