Yea it happens. That is why I prewash.

Yeah but... what if the shrinkage is vertical, not horizontal??

And I'm a little worried about the "crinkly look"...

was just at my local quilt shop getting some fabric for a border. asked woman there that quilts a lot and teaches classes if she prewashes and she says she never ever does. i usually do - esp if cheaper fabric from walmart, hobby lobby etc. did have some Moda that did not prewash and it was fine. think it is usually hit and miss. do prewash flannel tho.

L O L ! !

LOL :lol:

I am a manic pre-washer of fabric. If it's not washable it doesn't get a look in at our place...that goes for curtains and all.

And I've been told to never hang a quilt to dry it as it stresses the material and stitching too much! I always pre-wash - for the shrinkage (up to 3" in a yard), bleeding and to get rid of the chemicals they put on the fabrics to keep the bugs away - in hot water and hot dryer. When I wash my quilts I hand wash in the bathtub, spin in the washer on gentle, 15 minutes in the dryer then I lay them out on the lawn on a sheet and cover with another sheet held down by rocks.

I do not pre-wash my fabric. I like the effect of slight shrinkage, in the quilt. My quilts are mostly simple shapes, and I just love the 'poof' I get if they shrink a little. I make all of my quilts just a little larger than average, so if they shrink, it becomes a design element. We 'Aquarians' have to force ourselves to do anything the way others do. We just naturally 'wing it'. At least that's what my grandmother always told me to explain why I did everything just a little oddly. :oops: :thumbup:

I wash after the quilt is done for that very reason.