I doubt that any art quilter washes the fabric. I would assume that the crisper fabric would be easier to work with in this medium. Washing the fabric is usually done to remove excess dye so that when the quilt is washed the colors won't run onto the lighter fabrics. Judy in Torrance

okay..you can tell by the question that I am really new to this. I saw a similar thread over in the traditional area...but I think art quilts are different in that they usually aren't intended to be used, but rather displayed as art. SO - if I want to create an art quilt that combines a painted canvas (oils, acrylics or watercolor) with fabric, ribbon, etc...do I wash anything before beginning?? Why would I want to if it's never going to be washed afterwards and therefore, no worries about anything shrinking, bleeding, etc.

Any thoughts or ideas on this? How do you all proceed?

Do you wash the backing material only? Does it even matter?