Originally Posted by PatriceJ

i finally surrendered a few years ago and started pre-washing.
now i also grudgingly spend the $$$ on color catchers.
that isn't a fail safe way to check for, or predict, fading but it helps.

otherwise they only way i can think of - other than a crystal ball - would be to expose small pieces to various lighting conditions for an extended period of time.

if i did that, the quilt would never get made.

so i roll the dice like "it's Vegas, Babybee."