no--with long arm customer quilts figure they are quilters and can make that decision on their own quilt. For customers that I make t-shirt or memory quilts for, I generally do not wash (I do ask that the clothing is washed before it's given to me) and only give them care instructions (along with suggestions on marking label with Pigma pen on the label I attach). I do always wash my backing as I don't want it being the cause for undue shrinking (assuming the top fabrics have already been washed)