I always pre-wash flannel because of the shrinkage. So far I've only used it as a quilt back or in a rag quilt. It will still rag, because it is the fraying of the edges that causes the ragging, not the shrinkage. I got some marvelous dark purple flannel once at a quilt show. It was very thick and the color didn't even fade or bleed in the wash. I wish I knew the source, because I would love to get more of it. I think I will try BellaBoo's idea of buying my next flannel from CT.