Originally Posted by loopywren
Mine do not shrink very much, but I only wash in cool water in the machine and line dry, and never tumble dry.. I find the heat of the dryer makes them shrink...dryers are not so much in evidence over here, mainly used in winter or by Mums who work, the people I know both young and old mainly line dry.
And I've been told to never hang a quilt to dry it as it stresses the material and stitching too much! I always pre-wash - for the shrinkage (up to 3" in a yard), bleeding and to get rid of the chemicals they put on the fabrics to keep the bugs away - in hot water and hot dryer. When I wash my quilts I hand wash in the bathtub, spin in the washer on gentle, 15 minutes in the dryer then I lay them out on the lawn on a sheet and cover with another sheet held down by rocks.