There has always been a controversy as long as I've been a quilter to wash, to not wash. I think it's personal preference, but I prefer to prewash my fabric when I get it, then in a perfect world, it is all ironed and ready to be cut into beautiful quilts. Occasionally I will not run the dryer until the fabric is completely dry and then it's a snap to iron. Don't do this in summer, however. To cut down on the fabric raveling but cut diagonally across all 4 corners of the fabric, as this seems to help. Jut a tip I picked up years ago.