Oh, I too cringed reading all these "old" posts......I'm sorry, I may be insulting some with what I'm going to post now but...in my mind I cannot justify doing this by just eyeball cutting, skimping on seam allowances, covering a mistake with an appliqué, or whatever....just to get it done.....I feel I have invested too much time, $$$, know-how to just slap something together and give it to someone or keep, and if it's not the best I can do, oh well! I am not a perfectionist by any means, but I do have limits in what I let slide. Ah, having said all that....I don't pre wash...if I think there might be a bleed, I'll do the hot water in cup test....and no starch..not a spit of it or soak til cardboard....and I do not wash/dry anything after I finish it.....as it is being worked on it is not being dragged around a dirty place with grimmy hands, so no need...so now I leave the confessional! .....and ducking the slings and arrows!