I wash every quilt as soon as I finish the binding. With all the starch I use, and all the handling, I figure it needs it, and I want to see how it looks after washing. When I give them away, I give directions for how to wash them. Before I started quilting I had no idea how or whether to wash a quilt. If someone had given me one, I would have worried about how to take care of it. I think it's a kindness to tell someone that yes, the new quilt can be washed, and giving instructions. This provides the freedom to use the quilt rather than put it on a shelf.