I always wash my quilts when they are finished. I am another one who loves the crinkly look of the quilt after it is washed and dried.

I had never thought of washing quilts after they are finished. There are many great reasons to do so and maybe I will start. All the quilts that are used in my home are washed and dried when necessary. There is one hanging on the clothesline right now since my 14 year-old dog had a horrible accident on it during the middle of the night - it actually went into my washer for a hot water wash! It did just fine and smells so much better now ... lol. Before anyone gets worried about it being on the clothesline, part of my line stays in the shade all day so it is ok.

I used to not wash my quilts before giving them away, then I did a pantograph on one and left a slight gap between 2 rows by mistake. I free handed a design on it to blend in, which actually worked out really well, but still I wasn't quite happy with it so I washed it and it crinkled up just enough that I'm sure no one but me will ever notice my mistake.

Recently I used wool batting for the first time. After it was washed it got super crinkly. I'm a little disappointed because I went to a lot of trouble to make a pretty feathery design and you can't really see it because it got so crinkly. It is fluffy though, which is nice.

I do wash my finished quilts, for all the reasons listed above plus one: I want the quilt to look how it will look for the rest of its life. I gave an unwashed quilt to a family member a few years ago, after she washed it she returned it to me because it had crinkled (quite nicely, I might add) and she thought she'd ruined it.

If I am making a quilt to enter in a Quilt Show, I check before washing. Some Shows do not want them to be washed. Clean and all loose threads removed. But do not pre wash.

I always machine wash and dry because I don't think any of the recipients would take any special care so I do the regular wash/dry first

I have not washed but if I am giving to someone else I include color catchers and instructions.

Exactly what I do too!!!! My thoughts exactly. Want to see if it turns out okay.

Several of the big name quilters wash and block their quilts before putting the binding on. If you don't dry it in the dryer they don't shrink up as much and still look new.