Years ago I found homespun fabrics hard to use because they seem to be a looser weave; are not printed on grain - they often use plaids or stripes which boggle the eye when cut off-grain; they tend to stretch while piecing the block; and they do shrink.
They do give a certain look, but, for me, that "look" has been replaced by all the wonderful reprints of 1800s fabrics now available.
Jan in VA