I know I'm apt to get some flack for this, but I don't bother washing my rag quilts before I give them away, and no, it's not presented any problems for the new owners. Instead of washing, I use one of those small pet combs, the ones with the tiny teeth, and quickly brush over the ragged edges. That gets rid of that extra stuff that is left in the washer. A quick shake outside after the combing and it's ready to go. I do advise the new owner that's (usually) flannel and will shrink some and leave some lint in the dryer, but noone has had any problems with that first normal washing.
Oh, it does change the look of the raggedy edges a bit -- not so lumpy and a bit softer.
Last edited by katykwilt; 10-26-2012 at 06:43 AM.
Reason: addition