How important is prewashing the fabric?

[BigBirthdayGloom]

I'm about to make my first skirt (very excited!). I've bought some beautiful cotton, I think it's from a range intended for quilting but shop lady said it would be fine and the patterns compliment beautifully.
I don't think my mum ever prewashing cotton, but I've heard it's important.

Do those who dress make Pre wash? And how bad would it be if I didn't?

i'd say it's very important because you don't know what will happen to the fabric when it is eventually washed. you don't want to make your skirt out of, presumably, £14pm quilting fabric, only for the skirt to warp in the wash.

It matters for clothes, I know it's a faff but yep you should wash it.

You should for clothes with a shrinky fabric like cotton.

Yep-I knew it! Thank you for confirming it. It's half about the fabric which was £10 a metre but discounted, and half about the time it will take to make (actually more about the time!). I will wash it. Hope it doesn't shrink so much I haven't got enough!!

Or I could just never wash it...

I prewash everything, usually quite hot and on a high spin too. Most of the things I make are going to be LARP costume and thus worn outside, in muddy fields, and get covered in mud/fake blood/makeup/god knows what else. I'd rather know the fabric has already been through the kind of cleaning they'll need as garments, so I know it's up to it and won't shrink any further or go all weird.

Also important if you're using two different fabrics in the same item (the famous 'didn't prewash curtain fabric, lining shrank less than main fabric, lining now longer than curtain' look!)

Do it! Or you'll be back with a thread 'Help my skirt has shrunk!'

I never pre wash anything - never have done = very lazy indeed.

I did wash a cotton dress on a very very hot wash last week after I decided it had turned out a bit bigger than I wanted it to and it did shrink a tiny fraction - not enough though really.

Okay-it's going to be washed. Does most quilting cotton tumble dry or is it unlikely to end well? Teensy confession...didn't tell dh I'd bought new fabric for the skirt and was hoping to get away with it until it was made so he'd think it was a cunning destashing make. I am a very dreadful woman