Welcome Patti! I have found that the reason each quilt is made helps me decide how it is taken care of. I have one that took many hours of hand quilting, and we only put that on our bed for special occasions (and keep the dogs off it!) Some others are everyday quilts on the beds, and quilts for babies I machine quilt, expecting them to be well loved and dragged on the floor. My grandmothers quilts are wrapped in tissue and sheltered for their sentimental value, others are hanging on the walls (out of the sun) as artwork. So as long as you anticipate how it will be enjoyed, you can relax over how it agesand enjoy the process. You will no doubt get all yor questions answered on this board! And we love pictures!