I always wash a quilt before gifting for all of the above reasons. I made one quilt that I pre-washed the batting (it was Hobbs 80/20). When I washed the quilt after completion it did not have as much of the crinkly look because the batting had already shrunk. I liked the look for that quilt-it was oriental prints. I discovered that was an option and that the batting would not tear apart when washed on the gentle cycle and dried in the dryer on medium temperature. I confess that I thought I had ruined the batting when I took it out of the washer and put it into the dryer-but it was really nice to work with. I always wash the finished product because I like to use Elmer's school glue to baste the quilt and I use Crayola washable markers to mark with and I like to starch the backing. All the background stuff needs to disappear!