I'm with Gollytwo!

I must say even from quality stores, I have unfolded FQ's and they aren't always the same size or evenness. I think it all depends on who cuts them.

You are right about that. Some of the Quilt stores are very generous with their cuts and others are skimpy! I got one FQ at a quilt show from a vendor that was very flawed in the design that I didn't see until I was ready to use it for a project. I had just put it away with all my purchases of FQ's, so it was too late to do anything about it. I finally used what I could by cutting around the flaws and put them in a charity quilt. Luckily it turned out pretty good. I now check them when I buy them. Lesson learned.

I usually wash them by hand. Always had good luck.

I didn't wash fabric for wall hangings other wise I did. Found out the hard way by using some fabric for a project,......... well you know what happened. I wash my FQ's & sm pieces of fabric inside a pillowcase that I close with safety pins. They don't get frayed as much or twisted around each other. Saves a lot of time not having to struggle to sort them out.

It depends on the care instructions on the material. Some will say wash before use, I'll wash it. Some will say not preshrunk, I wash those. I rarely prewash the sheets I use that are 60% cotton and 40% polyester.

I serge my edges to keep all the threads at bay and wash just as I would my yardage. the serging takes a few minutes, but saves me TONS of ironing time in the long run...

Hello!
I am a rookie, but the first thing I do is wash everything.
My last job gave me a bad headache, because I bought a kit of fabrics do come from 2.50 square inches and were not washed. Upon completion of the project (a watercolor of 323 squares) and before the border, I had to wash it had "touched" a lot (for my lack of knowledge) and the darker fabrics lost their colors! I lost a job almost 3 weeks! You can "save" with a "trick" but it was a terrible experience!
I put the cloth in a transparent bucket with water, leave 15 minutes, rinse and hang up.
I love batik, I lose the reds, burgundy and blue .... and so far almost all have faded! We do not sell these special towels that I see on the web.
First was soaking in vinegar, but did not work.
Now I use warm water + salt and is working well even in the batik!
My bad experience leads me to wash almost everything!
Good luck to you!
A hug!

I prewash all fabric always. Not only to test the color fastness but to get rid of the chemicals and smell.

I don't pre-wash. oNly perhaps a hand-dyed or batik fabric, but it's not often that I use those. I prefer the wrinkly look of my quilts when they are quilted and washed.

I prewash batiks, even pre-cuts. I handwash, spin the excess water out using a salad spinner and iron dry. I think twisting the fabric in a towel would distort the fabric.

Is it necessary to "wash" fabric? Maybe just soak in water and dry it. It is the pounding of the washing machine that causes fabric to shred.