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Your fabric should always be prewashed. This removes excess dyes and minimizes the shrinking of your finished quilt. Fabric should be washed gently in warm water. It should be dried on a warm setting and then pressed before cutting. To ensure the colorfastness of your fabric, you can soak it in equal parts white vinegar and water. After this process, fabric should be rinsed thoroughly and dried on a warm setting.
Pressing Your Fabric
Pressing must be done correctly to ensure the overall quality of your finished product. You should not be firm, but rather press lightly. Using the tip of your iron, move iron in an "up and down" movement. Steam or dry heat are both acceptable. It just depends on which setting works best.
You should "set" your seams by folding them open and then pressing them flat. Then they should be pressed to one side of the other. Generally, seams should be pressed towards the darker side to prevent them from showing through. An iron that is too hot can cause your fabric to appear shiny....avoid this.
Make Your Own Templates
You can make your own templates for future use by placing clear plasic over a printed template and trace with a dark permanent marker. For hand-piecing templates, you should trace and cut it out on the broken line, called the stitching line. For machine piecing, cut out on the solid line.
Backing Your Projects!
You should always use the same quality fabric for the back of your quilt as you used in the quilt top. Selvages should be removed and quilt back should be at least 4" larger than the quilt top. If it becomes necessary to use more than one piece for the back of your quilt, be sure to press the seam open, so that it lies flat.