Originally Posted by ksea
Can I ask why you stopped prewashing your fabric, I thought that was a golden rule. I have washed every yard of fabric that I have brought into my home for the last 5 years, and then spend hours and hours and hours ironing it.
Because it just isn't neccessary. I don't even prewash reds anymore. Fabrics are dyed with chemical dyes. If they "bleed" and another fabric picks up the color it won't be set and will wash out. I buy good quality fabrics and as a rule they all shrink pretty much the same. Puckering is your friend. It covers a multitude of quilting mistakes.
And even if I did prewash I wouldn't spend hours and hours ironing it all just to have to iron it again when I was ready to use it. Why iron twice? Plus new fabrics have a finish on them to help prevent fading.