I do not understand that - no matter which way a fabric might shrink - if it does - I would think that each of the design repeats would shrink at the same rate when the fabric was washed and dried.

If one is worried about the bias cuts - one of the few places where I think using starch or sizing on the fabric before cutting it might be appropriate.

I very rarely wash fabric and have never had a problem. However if the fabric old (years old) I wash dark reds, greens, blues, blacks just to be sure they don't bleed. I don't buy precuts because I think they are too expensive.

I always wash everything. I wash in warm water and dry larger yardage in the dryer but lay small cuts out flat to dry then starch and iron them. Some never run or shrink others do so and some run so bad that I do them a second time, always with a color catcher. I want to know this before I invest my time putting them into a quilt.

I don't pre wash fabric, too much trouble is the only reason. I do test for bleeding with a tiny piece of the fabric in hot water and then ironed dry on a piece of white muslin. I do this before using any colored fabric.

You'd be surprised about uneven shrinkage. Also, you have to remember that it's not just about size with the kaleidoscope blocks. If the pattern is off by an 8th of an inch in the center of the block, you'll notice it. It's happened to me before, so I say never again!

I wash fabric just prior to using it because of sensitivity to the chemicals. I never buy pre-cuts because I don't want the hassle of dealing with many, many, many pieces of shrunken wrinkled fabric instead of just several larger pieces. I don't buy kits because I assume they don't take into consideration that some people wash their fabric prior to sewing.

I prewash fabrics so I know whether fabric is going to bleed. I have had to wash some "new" fabrics three and four time to get all the dye out and this was quilt shop fabric. I'm not complaining about the excess dye. The process is what it is. I make my quilts to be used and laundered not just looked at. I always buy excess fabric to allow for shrinkage. I shy away from kits for this reason.

I would think that would be more of a cutting or sewing error - - -

I'm a dedicated pre-washer - for many reasons, and because of that I avoid pre-cuts. I will buy fat quarters, and I will wash them, and I will cut the threads to get them apart!!

But, like Kim said above ... I will NOT pre-wash if my fabric is planned for an OBW or any other method that requires that the print be precisely measured and cut in repeats. I learned this the hard way when I purchased 4 identical panels to fracture and after pre-washing those suckers were no longer square, would not get square, and as a result I could not get a perfect match of the print from one panel to the other when you stacked them together.

If mine ever shrink, the whole top will shrink together. There is no way that I'm washing all those little pieces and ironing them. Call me lazy. But, it just aint worth it.