Originally Posted by Scissor Queen
Batiks shouldn't shrink since they've been boiled to remove the wax resist. Batiks may shed excess dye but that's only a problem if another fabric picks it up permanently. On most fabrics even if they pick up some excess dye in the wash it's still not set and will wash out of whatever picks it up.
I don't pre-wash.
I recently gently prewashed batik 2.5 " strips in my sink and laid them out on towels to dry. Some shrunk (widthwise) and some did not. Next time I won't prewash!