Watson- I block after quilting and yes,I baste a line of stitching 1/8" in when I quilt on LA. I don't actually get it in the washer, but instead I lay a large sheet of plastic down on the floor, preferably on carpet, lay the quilt down and spray with water, then use a t-square or my laser level/t-square and block it and then use pins (make sure they are rust proof) and pin to the carpet. If I have to block on the laminate, I tape the edge of the quilt down to block it. I only block quilts that I'm entering into a show and then only if it's a little wonky.