You're not alone. I don't prewash most of the time. Only if I am using a red fabric, will I prewash. That is the only color that I have ever had a problem with.

Hot water and Hot dryer encourages the shrinkage and bleeding ...........

I personally only wash what I think will run. Always RED for sure, especially if I am going to pair with white. Some batiks......but as a general rule NO I do not wash......
Regarding the quilt you just finished, do you have any of the red left over, put it in a sink with cold water and see what it is going to do.....that may take some of the surprise out of the equation.

Ah...as many answers as there are quilters. :)

Everything that comes home is washed - warm water with color catcher and dried in the dryer. Then it's ironed and put on a comic board with information as to manufacturer, collection, width and yardage. The only exception to washing has been pre-cuts which I tend to avoid for just that reason.

You'd think reds are the key bleeding colors, but I've had lots of color catchers colored from greens and purples.

I never prewash EXCEPT for REDS! and with them I only just put a small sample about 8x8 in a hot water bath in clear jar to see if the color bleeds SO in your case I would find a Scrap of your Quilt fabric and do this test BEFORE you wash this Quilt!! And IF it makes the water turn red or pink you should try the Color catchers maybe 2 or more if your quilts big. :)

I wash my fabric before starting a quilt. If I don’t my nose and neck get itchy while sewing. I guess I’m sensitive to the dyes or protective coating on the fabric. Someone told me it may also be caused by the fumes of the pest management product used by the quilt shop. A warm gentle wash cycle takes care of it.

I know a lot of quilters do not pre wash and have no problems. I have always pre washed for all the reasons listed above (don't ask me about the one time I got brave and didn't)! I may not be the best quilter, I may not buy the top of the line fabric brands, but I do put a lot of time, effort, and love into my quilts. and hate to see all that be ruined, so taking the extra time to wash and iron it is no problem for me.

Hi and welcome from NE Ohio. No I don't generally wash my fabrics.

You will get many different opinions about whether to prewash or not. I personally do because the manufacturing process (most fabrics are made in China or the far east) uses chemicals. Also, the fabrics are treated with pesticides so no unwanted critters are brought into the country in shipping containers. It's just a preference for me.

It all comes down to personal preference. I now wash my fabrics before I cut because of the chemical smells in them, but the main reason, is I like to see how the fabric reacts to laundering. I wash them just as I do my regular laundry, warm wash and medium dry.