i, too, wash in hot water and dry in high heat. if something gets on the quilt, especially things like vomit or hairballs, i'd wash that quilt in the hottest water i could get! and so would most moms! so, if it's going to shrink i want it to do it before i give it away, not after. so far i haven't made any "for display only" quilts, other than dq's, so real life is what my quilts face.