all boils down to see what works best for you and that particular situation. I prewash everything because of allergies to the dyes in the fabric and fragrances. Same goes for when I baste. I must admit, I like the thread basting (Sharon Schamberg Houndstooth method. It is time consuming but basting is time consuming and spray basting is out of the question. Fragrances involved in that. Eventually, what works for you is what matters!

You will always find a variety of "answers" to our quilt questions, some will work and others will not. Also what works for one person will not work for you. I say listen to what people say, try it if it's feasible, if it works fine - if not, it's also fine. Whenever I take a quilt class I can usually learn something new that will make quilting easier. I once took a quilting class from a well known quilt teacher, when something needed to be "unsewn" she took out her rotary cutter to cut the stitches. When I asked about it she said that she used the rotary cutter because she didn't have her seam ripper available. It's crazy, but I've used it many times and it works. Always be open to doing something differently and if it works, fine, if not, go back to what you are comfortable with.

I have also learned to repeat what I am hearing someone suggest to me. There are times when I even put pencil to paper. Sometimes quilters assume a particular technique is obvious (a minor detail everyone knows needs to be done) and that part is left out. If you write it down, more often than not, that oversight will come out.

by trial and error

Lots of times I read instructions for speeding up a process and sometimes that doesn't pan out. For example there are ways to make HSTs where you do many at a time BUT the outside edge puts in on the bias. While I agree with the speed part, I HATE working with those biased edges, even when they are starched well.

Most of my "experiences" usually come from an attempt to speed things up (read: find short cuts) and I pay for them every time. Fortunately for me, I don't repeat the same thing twice, so it is always a NEW joy. lol

One thing amazes me, and ghostrider has already talked about it: As many years as I've been doing this hobby, I still have questions, still learn new skills, still get excited about new methods or new color combinations.

A few truths had to be learned the hard way. I used to think that ironing/pressing was overrated - after all, I hate ironing clothes. After a few pathetic results in the quilting world, I am now a presser. Even if I finger=press, but press I will.