Welcome, Welcome.
I am still kind of new to quilting too. I have never washed my fabric before quilting because I want everything to kind of shrink and make that crinkly "old" look. I do use the color catchers and they work. I can't believe the amount of color it will come out with. My recent quilt (my second completed quilt) was a black/white strip and the blacks did not blend into the whites. I was pleased with the color catcher.
I bet you get some great discounts at the quilting store you work at......build your stash!
Also, those tutorials by Jenny Doan at Missouri Quilt Company are great. I want to try several of them in the near future.
Good luck and post photos of your accomplishments!