Yes and no ... that 60" width of a queen just became 56".

Yes, you'd make it wider ... though how much would you factor in to compensate and know you still have a usable quilt?

You washed unquilted fabric. Quilt some samples up and then wash.

You shouldn't make a quilt to just barely fit anyway. Batting shrinks too unless it's pre-shrunk. Beside even if a quilt shrinks some or even a lot it is still a perfectly useable quilt!

Pre-washing is for clothing construction!

I decided since I don't prewash to measure one of my table toppers right after I finished putting it all together...I washed it in cold water and lost all of 1/2 inch...I don't prewash like working with original sizing in fabric...Though, I recently had to wash some for a swap I'm doing and that's the rules...but normally no...Now I have to starch what I washed.

I pre-wash as you never know what kind of dust/dirt it has collected especially for those with asthma or allergies but most of all colour fastness. My very first experience of quilting - a 12 part kit Baltimore BOM by a well known company where they furnished the fabric. I quick-washed but didn't double rinse. The quilt was finished except for the binding and when being spritzed with water to remove quilting lines the colours ran! Some so badly right throught the batting and onto the backing. Bless the dear people on this board who recommended synthrapol which removed the mess and saved the day. So pre-wash and double rinse.

Is it possible that your 60" wide fabric was cotton but home dec weight fabric rather than quilting weight cotton and that's why it shrank so?

Jan in VA

I'm not really concerned about it ... wash and shrink first.

I prewash--a throw back from clothing construction days. Like hetty I had a bad experience with a red Hoffman fabric and I had washed and dried once! I always prewash.

I'm interested in this - why would that make a difference? Are the cottons treated differently? I learn something every day on this board :-D

I very seldom prewash. I guess everyone has their own way of doing things and that is the way I do mine!!!

Thanks for the info all mighty quilt Gods!