Question

I have a question for you.  Do you pre-wash your fabrics before making a quilt?

I had to pre-wash for the quilt I'm currently working on because I used seersucker, shirting, and quilting cotton.  Each fabric had a different make-up (polyester/cotton blend, for example), so I decided that I should shrink them all before sewing them together.  The last thing I want is for some parts of my quilt to shrink up more than others.

I had never done it before a few days ago because it seemed like so much work.  And waiting.  I mean, who wants to wait for fabric to wash and dry before cutting into it, right? Not to mention the ironing...

I must say that I was extremely surprised at how much I enjoyed the whole process.  I actually liked ironing all my newly cleaned fabrics.  It was also nice to know what they looked like after being washed.  Usually it's a throw the quilt in on the gentle cycle and pray that it comes out alright kind of thing.  It was also nice to piece clean fabric.  I don't know why, but there was something about it...

Anyway, I'm just thinking about making the switch to pre-washing everything.  It is important not to mix pre-washed fabrics with fabrics that aren't pre-washed, so I think I'll have to commit to one way or the other.  Here is a great discussion on pre-washing.

So again, the question is, do you pre-wash?  Why or why not?  Thanks for your help!