This is a regular topic on the board, and you will find there are fanatics on both sides. Funny thing is, there are seldom people switching from the wash to the don't wash camp as you have; it's usually the other way around, when a non-washer has a problem with fabric bleeding after not washing. I wash everything, and the only time I feel there's a big difference in how the fabric feels is when it was too full of sizing to begin with. I use starch or sizing before cutting.