Originally Posted by blessingscounted
Thank you KastleKitty - precious insight and now I'll never wrinkle my nose about the little extra time and work it takes to prewash - I didn't know the cause of the shrinkage.
People don't believe that polyesters can shrink! The fiber doesn't, but those warp threads can. It might not be as much as cotton, but I learned a lesson that I don't want to repeat.
As far as after it is washed, I iron my fabric and sometimes spray starch it. Sometimes spray with water because the steam part of my iron doesn't work right. (Need a new one!) I am a stickler for starting with fabric that has been straightened and on-grain, like I do for sewing garments which is different than cutting an edge with a rotary cutter. I guess all the years of sewing has taught me certain things and I use them with quilting. But I would not think anything bad about it if somebody chose not to do the same. I don't have years of experience with quilting! And I have read on the Board that some quilters like the look that they get from working with unwashed fabric, completing it, then washing it to get that shrinkage!