I agree, it's a personal preference. I prewash everything except precut purchases. I don't pink, sew, etc the edges - just toss the fabric in the machine with a color catcher and have the scissors ready when I remove the fabric so I can snip off the ravels. I never add starch, sizing, etc to my fabric, just iron it, cut it & sew it. Then I always wash my quilt as soon as it is finished. This lets the batting shrink a bit and makes it all nice and soft and clean.