new_quilter

Hello

I am a new member here so I am not sure if this is the forum to post this question.

I have a few questions about finishing the quilt. I am working on a quilt that is 100% cotton front and back that is about 5x7 feet. my batting is 80 cotton/20 polyester. It is needlepunched, ununbleached, no scrim, and a 1/4 inch loft height. First and foremost is this an okay batting?

My quilt front is a gradient ranging from dark blue to white. My first question is about color bleeding. I did not wash each fabric before sewing. is there something I can wash it with to keep the colors from bleeding?

also I was under the impression that with this type of batting I can put all layers together and quilt before washing/drying and it will cause the crinkled appearance. Is this so? I want this effect. What do I need to do in order to get that? Do I wash the front and back but not the batting before quilting or do I wash none of the above (or all of the above)?

I've read that the batting layer and backing need to be wider all the way around than the top. how much wider? is just a few inches enough? Is it okay if the batting is as wide as the back or does one need to be wider?

Finally once the quilting is done, do I wash it before or after the binding is put on?

Sorry for all the questions... I went into this a bit blindly but I am enjoying the process!