do NOT wash your quilt top before it is quilted and bound...you will wind up with a very big mess and a ruined quilt top. I always wash my quilts when they are finished before giving or letting go anywhere, it removes any marks i may have made, any oils/grime from working with the fabric and allows me to make sure everything is ok...if you give it before washing and something does run or come apart the reciepient will be crushed and very stressed...it is better for you to find out those things before the quilt goes anywhere.