So, then, I presume, one does prewash all fabric used in construction clothing too? I sewed clothing for several yrs and did not prewash nor after wash what I sewed.......until after it was worn, then washed or dry cleaned, whatever method necessary to clean it......
I do not prewash fabric...waste of water,electricity,soap, equipment, nor do I post wash....just use it until it " really" needs a washing...then on gentle, cold water with Orvus(sp), dry gentle then outside for fresh air and final dry......so they only get washed in warm weather here in Midwest! During winter months I will air fluff in dryer monthly......no one in this house sleeps in a bed that does not have two sheets, all take daily showers, wear clean clothes so the quilts on the beds are not " dirty"......... There are no babies here, we do not use lap quilts. Quilted things I gave gifted have never come back shredded at seams or color-blend. But we all do what we feel works for us

I learned many years ago to boil my fabrics with a little vinegar to preshrink and also set the colors in my fabrics. Now, I know this method was taught to me 20 years ago by an older woman, and I also know this takes a lot of time - but I've had very little shrinkage issues and my colors have never run. I must also say that I dry them in high heat and iron all of my fabics before even starting. (I heard all of you groan at that!) Since I do a lot of donation quilts for Project Linus, removing all the starch and other 'stuff' is necessary. Vintage quilts are all 'crinkled', it's just the nature of the art. :D

Vinegar is useful for setting dyes made from organic products, which is how many colors were obtained in fabric decades ago. Nowadays all commercially produced fabric (and even many home-dyed fabrics) use chemical dyes to obtain different colors, and chemical dyes are not affected by vinegar. The vinegar in the steps you go through will not do the fabric any harm, but it also is likely not doing it any good.

We also use two sheets on our beds -

However, some of my family members have been known to fall asleep on the couch after working in the garden or are hot and sweaty or after spending hours outside rearranging snow, cats and/or dogs have been known to climb on the couch, babies have been known to leak, ill people have been known to throw up - for us, washing has worked out well.

I make them so they can withstand ordinary washing and drying on an "as needed" basis - which is probably more often than once every few years.

I wash before cutting for one main reason:

I want to know that I (or whoever) can just wash and dry the item with reasonable care. I feel that there should be NO NEED WHATSOEVER to need color catchers, or any other further treatment for the item to turn out well when washed with mild detergent in cool or warm water and dried to barely dry on moderate heat.

The things I do fear are: bleach, burns, and tears.

I love the look I get from making quilts that are not made from prewashed fabric, and have polyester batting, because they get a cuddly puffy look after washing. Having said that, I have recently discovered that sizing on fabric eats my hands, so I will now prewashed the fabric, but not the 80/20 batting, so I might still get some puffiness when I wash them. I wash every quilt before I gift it, so I can check for boo-boos. I will post after I wash the one currently being tied, to let you know how that works. I am tying it every three inches, and doing some machinine quilting on it for stability.

Thread mess, I am with you. I wash everything, dryer setting normal for clothes, and iron before I cut. I don't wash before giving a gift quilt, so the recipient can enjoy the flat, pressed look until it needs washing. Then they can see it progress themselves. I have two quilts I use on my bed that have never been washed and might never get washed. They don't get dirty, all they do is sit on the bed all day. I vacuum the quilts to remove dust and dander. I do have a couple of lap quilts that I washed, and they both have a lovely crinkled look that isn't too much. The batting and thread did shrink a bit, but I like that look. I use all cotton batting and thread.

Well I see no one had any photos to share with you. Too bad. I wanted to see the before and after quilts, too....