I started out not washing fabric but I had a bleed and so I started washing my fabric and ironing it and it is a big pain in the butt but I don't want a bleed to ruin a quilt I have put the time into make. I also starch a lot of my fabric so it won't stretch. It depends on what I am making. So I do a lot of prep before I cut. I hate to iron and I still do the prep.