Perhaps the following info. will be useful to some of you.
We've discussed issues with the Bali Pop packs of 2-1/2"-wide strips. One of those issues is fabric washing/bleeding. I made the 5-braid-strip French braid with unwashed Bali Pops. Because they weren't pre-washed, I also did not pre-wash the dark outer border. This was the first quilt top I've ever made without pre-washing; however, there's no way I would sandwich and quilt an unwashed quilt that has dark colors in it, so here is what I did:
I need a piece of muslin for the box spring cover part of a bed skirt I'm going to make soon, so I cut the bed skirt muslin piece extra large ... as large as the Fr. braid quilt top. I then machine basted it all the way around the edges to the wrong side of the FB top, thereby sealing in all the seam allowances to prevent a loose thread stampede in my washing machine. I then washed it on "color" setting with 3 Shout color catcher sheets that were in a mesh bag.
The results: other than being really wrinkled, the quilt top looks fine, the Shout sheets are stained and the muslin is no longer snow white ... it is kind of off-white, but it is uniform with no splotches and will still be used for the bed skirt.
So, although I have a huge pressing job to do now on the quilt top, I am so relieved that it is not ruined.