Okay, as I sit here and a new quilter (on my 5th year after retiring), in my living room on a quilt stand are 3 quilts. One made by my grandmother in the 1940's. It has cotton balls in it picked from the farm in North Carolina. It has never been washed because it has cotton balls in it and my mother told me "DO NOT Wash it!!!" It was put in water and spread out on the grass and weeds on the farm to dry in the sun. It was well used and still treasured. Next, is a quilt my mother made in the 1970's and it looks like it is brand new and has been washed and hung to dry. Finally, the 3rd quilt that I hand made using (to learn how to do it) the "quilt and go method" because we were traveling back and forth from Ohio to North Carolina for 3 years after I retired (from teaching) because my mom was alone and needed us to be there 4-6 times each year. I hand-quilted it in car and at her home while I sat with her and we talked about the farm and all the years. I finished it and took it back to show it to her before she passed. She slept under it and that is the last time it was used. So, I have three generations of hand-quilted quilts on display and washing them is not a worry. I switch them around and refold them every 3 months and yep, when the blizzards come and if there were needed, all three generations would say "go for it and use them!"