Thisi s one of the TRUE quilting 'contreoversies"! i used to pre-wash. Got plain tired of it. Besides any number of super quilters I know personally would never ever pre-wash. So far fpr me, sop good.
And yes, I like that slightly 'puckery' look. When you cut a 6" sq from a 45" wide x 36" long piece -- the shrinkage actually can be miminal.
Just my take on this....
JUlie