I don't wash any flannels before making a quilt - I use flannel on the back and a cotton batt, so when it is washed, it pretty much all 'adjusts' the same amount. I love the soft, comfy look once the finished quilts are washed - IMHO they are the nicest, friendliest quilts I make, and since they are, almost without exception, made for children, they're going to get washed ... a lot, so they'll just get more wonderful as time goes on. Enjoy the process, don't sweat the small stuff - and your dgd will have a new snuggly that will feel like her best friend right from the beginning.