As I do with all my quilts, I am pre-washing the fabric. The idea being that 1) I can wash out any dye residue in the fabric to keep it from bleeding on the other fabrics and 2)to shrink the fabrics so that they won't shrink after being quilted. If the fabrics shrink after being quilted, the stitches stay put and the fabric can pull causing stress to the fabric's fibers making them more susceptible to tearing.
Before washing my fabrics, I cut the raw edges with pinking shears to minimize unraveling of the fabric from these edges. I wash my fabrics in a dye free soap (Tide Free and Clear or Dreft) on a large load so as to be sure all the soap washes out of the fabrics. I dry all fabrics on medium heat to maximize shrinkage before piecing and quilting. I also figure that the quilt owner will wash the quilt regularly and will wash it as they do other blankets (on regular cycles). If I treat it as they would, there won't be any additional shrinkage when they wash it versus when I was it. Most quilts I make for others are for utility purposes, not display pieces by any means... so they need to withstand what everyday life can do to them.
Lastly, ironing... I HATE ironing!! I think I would enjoy it more if I had a better ironing board. But alas, it is an important step to making a quilt and I must do it. I like to think that it's like putting on moisturizer before putting on your make-up. You don't HAVE to do it but it makes everything else go together smoothly. 
Once I am folded and ironed... I can move on to the nitty gritty part of quilting... rotary cutting!!!
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