Congratulations on becoming part of the quilting world. I am a wash first person, EXCEPT when it's strip cuts or small squares, I would wash after the quilt was finished with a color catcher, although I have yet to use them from what I've heard on QB they are very helpful and I could be using them in the very near future. I just finished a quilt top with 3" strips and 3" squares, so I did not wash the fabric first. I am a compulsive "matchy" person, so it was quite a challenge for me to just randomly pick up the "pieces" and make a quilt. It was a nice diversion from my normal quilts and I'm quite pleased with the results. Happy quilting. I know that for me quilting is my link to sanity in my crazy world.