I admit that I don't prewash most fabric, but I've never had a problem. Today's experience may change that!

My bff and I enrolled in a 4 hour class at LQS. When we enrolled, we got 20% off all purchases that day. So I purchased fabric for the project, a Rapid Hunter's Star wallhanging. I chose My Asian Garden by Ro Gregg, a quality fabric. It's different for me, especially as it has that metallic gold on it. Even with the discount, it wasn't cheap.

This morning, I was cutting for class, 16 - 6" blocks to be cut diagonally. So since bias edges are challenging for me, after I cut the blocks, I spritzed them with Mary Ellen's Best Pressed and pressed them dry.

When I laid them out to make the diagonal cut, they were 6" x 5.75". I assumed I had cut my strip too narrow. I carefully cut another strip and 6" blocks (from fabric for the border). Again, I spritzed and pressed. Guess what! They were small again! So I did an experiment. After carefully cutting one block, re-measuring, spraying, & pressing, I measured it. The fabric had shrunk!

Has anyone else had this experience? I can't believe I lost 1/4" off every 6" block! Is this complaint-worthy? Do I tell the shop owner? Maybe it's common and I've just been lucky up till now?

I had a queen size finished quilt shrink nearly 8" all around. It caught me off guard too.

Starch and press BEFORE you cut. I never prewash, I have seen some fabrics shrink as I am spraying them with starch! I always starch before cutting for this exact reason. Wasting expensive fabric!

Wow, I'd been freaking out about it.

I have had it shrink right on the ironing board , yep just like you spritzed it and could literally watch it shrink.
It typically has happened to me with cheaper fabrics, and have gotten to the point where I can almost predict which one will , but every once in a while one I paid big $$$ will surprise me and shrink dramatically while I'm ironing it.
Most times I starch, iron then cut but ... sometimes when I don't ... Surprise... then I kick myself.

I had a same experience. I went back to the quilt shop and read the bolt end. Sure enough....it had a high percent poly and the heat from the iron shrank it. I adjusted my seams to compensate for the 1/4 inch loss and finished the top. I have yet to quilt it. Guess this one will stay here....the dogs will appreciate it.

While it seems complaint worthy, did you read the care instruction on the end of the bolt? If you over-looked that little piece of information, you probably will not be compensated for your loss. If it is not printed I would request a refund, or credit or new fabric all together.

I'm in the prewashing group, so I haven't experienced fabric shrinking in front of my eyes! It's interesting to note, though, that the fabric didn't shrink evenly - that is, it was still 6" in one direction, but not the other.

I often use starch after I prewash, but like justwannaquilt, I starch BEFORE I cut, not after.

I personally don't think it's complaint worthy - cotton fabric is known to shrink, so you really do take a chance if you use it without prewashing. It's not the fault of the LQS or even the fabric manufacturer - it's just the nature of the fabric.

I did report back to my LQS regarding one fabric - it was a beautiful deep purple floral. When I washed it, it bled. Same thing happened the second, third, fourth, and fifth times I washed it! At that point I decided not to use it, but I did let the LQS know about it so they could warn others to use necessary precautions when using that fabric in a quilt.

I had this happen one time with top quality LQS fabric. I cut the large squares and then starched and pressed. The fabric shrunk over 1/2" and didn't even shrink evenly around, just got all wacky. It was 100% cotton too. The shop was too far away to return the fabric so I washed it in hot water, ironed it dry and used it for small projects. I did contact the shop and was told no one else had complained about it. I wonder how many quilters were so frustrated thinking they were cutting wrong.

Sounds like you learned the same way I did. I am now a fervent believer in pre-washing and starching almost everything.

I have had many fabrics shrivel up before my eyes as I was pressing them and some (the really cheap, thin ones) would shrivel even more as I was piecing & pressing. Now I turn my iron all the up and press everything before I make a cut. If it's just squares--I don't worry about the starch but if any of the fabric is going to be cut on the bias--It gets starched and I don't care if it came from the $1 table at Walmart or fresh out of the Moda factory at the $10 LQS.