So what should I do?
 

So I've gotten brave and decided that my next quilt project will be a wall hanging for my living room. I bought a quilt kit (Madison Ave from Keepsake quilting) which is all batiks - some of which came in pre-cut strips. After the quilting is finished, I will add buttons to the centers of some of the blocks. Now my question is about washing fabrics. Should I was all of them? None of them? All but the pre-cuts? This will be a wall hanging so it probably won't be washed often, but I have heard lots of complaints on this board about batiks running so now I'm in a quandry. I don't want to ruin my wall hanging! To pre-wash or not to pre-wash? That is the question!

Lesson learned. Do not wash pre cuts. LOL. The yardage can be washed.

If raveling and tangling is the concern, one can wash precuts in the sink or a bowl and just swish the pieces about a bit by hand - and lay them out on a towel or rack to dry -

I don't think I have ever had a batik ravel. . . hum. . .

If this is a wall hanging that will probably never get washed, I wouldn't bother washing it prior to putting it together. I have taken my vacuum cleaner hose and put a knee high or panty hose leg over the nozzle end and used that to suck dust off finished wallhangings. That's generally all the cleaning wallhangings in my house need.

I would not wash the precuts, so therefore I would not wash the rest of the fabric either so that it is all the same. You should be fine since it is a wall hanging. You could do a little spot test to see if the fabrics bleed without actually washing them and that should show if there will be trouble if you have to wash the entire thing in the future.

I wouldn't wash any of the fabric.

Definitely wouldn't wash at all. I don't wash any of mine, especially my wall hangings.

since wall hangings seldom need to be cleaned- and can generally be 'spot cleaned' if needed it really is seldom necessary to (pre-wash) and pre-cuts are generally not recommended for pre-washing.
if you do have to wash the finished wall hanging=wash it in cold water- gently-with a color catcher just in case.

I made life easier on myself and wash everything I use. That way I don't ever have to worry about and waist time pondering anything. It takes almost no time to throw a load in the washer or for small cuts, in the sink. Then I never question or worry about it and can spend more time on designing and quilting all that wonderful washed fabric!
peace

I don't prewas precuts - they tend to ravel and distort. If you need to wash the finished part then you can throw a color catcher in with it.