LIke Lynne said...matter of preference. This has been going around for a Long time! Everyone has their own way. I do. I was raised that way! But these days with allt he extras you can get... I still do. The color thingy you can toss in the washer to grab all the color to wash with mixed colors...I know I'll never remember to buy more or keep it on hand. I dont know who will be taking care of the quilts I give away so I just prewash the fab so it won't shrink or discolor on them as they toss it in the washer. I think that smaller pieces wouldn't shrink as much so if making that way...why bother, but then I would forget which I have prewashed and which I haven't and worry about mixing them up and messing the quilt up with some shrink, some don't, some discolor, some don't. And the list goes on .....so...I choose to stick with my upbringings and pre wash.

But... have learned a few things here...

So I say: Prewash...BUT.....
1. IRON. Yeah, get out that iron and iron the yardage. Gets the wrinkles out and none to set in while it sits on the shelf waiting to be used.Iron while watching TV. Since the iron is always set up, iron one before you hit the sack. Don't take long and the outcome is very much worth the time spent.

2. Iron with SPRAY STARTCH. So muc for the days when spray startch was for collars on men's dress shirts!!! However, I have found to use a water mister if you want wrinkles out...works much faster. So you can do that then fold. Or do that, then startch. I usually spray mist and when the wrinkles are out, go back and spray startch of I don't have a use for the fab right now. If I know I am going to use it this week, I will spray mist the wrinkles out, and then startch it. Spray startch makes things stiff...you don't want a stiff wrinkle!

3. When I am ready to use the fabric, I take it out and spray startch it when I am ready to cut it. Just stiffen ups the fabric a bit more for a more exact cut. I learned the hard way that just that littel bit of pressure from the rotary cutter to the fabric to the healing matte, is enough to make the piece measurements off by just enough to make all the shapes off by just enough to make you go crazy trying to match things up.

Then just sew as you like. I have tried this several times, adding and taking away things, and found this to be the best way..at least for me. I also, found..100% cotton only is the best. I was buying Poly/cotton blend and found that to be to thin, and to stretchy...however...I have found that I can use this blend if I am just doing small pieces. And just starch the fab all the time! Do as above and then once sewn together, starch it as you set/press seams. It really helps for keeping the thinner fab from giving to much and helps the stretchyness not be so stretchy!But again, just small pieces. Don't use it for long strips. The stretch will get you!