Thanks for the tips everyone. I did not prewash mine, as some were in a charm pack and would be difficult to wash and might unravel. I never pre-wash my fabric anyway. I may regret not washing these...fingers crossed. I'm not using starch either. I may resort to that. I have to drive a long ways to drive to a store that carries non-arosol starch. The canned stuff just gets clogged up and makes me a very unhappy quilter. The stabilizer is a good idea. some of these pieces are tiny. I paper-pieced one block, as per instructions. I might paper-piece some other blocks, as well.
So far, the blocks are coming out nice, except for one, which looks a little lumpy. I think that's OK though...it's a Hobo quilt, after all, and it can look a bit off. That just adds to its charm. Once it's quilted, it will be fine.
~ Cindy