Originally Posted by nursie76
Thanks for the kind responses! I think the general consensus is that while it IS personal preference, they probably is no downside to washing the fabric beyond losing the sizing which can be restored somewhat with starch. I will have to look into Mary Ellens Best Press. (I wonder if Joann Fabrics would have it..)
The downside I have with prewashing is the time and energy it takes. I'd rather devote that time to cutting, piecing and quilting.
I haven't prewashed fabric since taking a class from Harriet Hargrave. It saves me a lot of time, plus fabrics with the factory sizing still on are somewhat protected from sun fading. I will briefly test very suspicious fabrics (especially reds) by placing in water and seeing if any coloration takes place.
What I *always* do, though, is wash the quilt with Synthrapol once it is finished. Synthrapol suspends unset dye particles in water so they rinse away instead of settling into other fabrics. I also look at the wash water. If I were to see a lot of color in the water (hasn't happened to me yet), I would be very careful to wash again in Synthrapol until the water is clear before drying the quilt.