I had my cat Bella, make a piece of warm & natural into a cozy little bed. I found it covered in black fur. grrr. I figured either way, trashed or torn up in the washer, it was ruined.So I washed it, by itself on small load. I was wrong, it did shrink a little ,but was still in one piece, and it still quilted up nice and I didn't wash the fabric so it still puckered a little bit.I like the crinkled ,puckered look. I'm with Neesie, make a couple of samples,unwashed and washed, pot holder size to see which style you prefer.