Originally Posted by mom2boyz
I am also new to quilting but I was scared into thinking that all the fabrics might not shrink the same . But I wouldn't think it would matter too much it the whole quilt is finished, stitched, bound etc. I hope some seasoned quilter can comment on this.
I've been quilting for 12 years now. I've prewashed and not washed. I've mixed washed with unwashed. So far I haven't had a single problem. I've made 30 twin size or bigger quilts and 10 baby quilts. I've tossed every one of them into the washer as soon as the last stitch is done on the binding. I haven't had a single problem with unwashed fabric yet.
As long as you're buying quilt shop fabric you shouldn't have a problem. It's when you start mixing lesser quality fabrics with better quality fabrics that you're likely to have problems.