Pat-- i wash mine because i not only get the markings off but while i work on the quilt i drag it here and drag it there to do some kind of work on it and also i want to make sure that it will hold up in the wash and that i didnt make a mistake somewhere on it that it might not , because when i give it to someone i dont want it to fall apart somewhere that i missed or sewed something wrong i would rather have that happen to me before i give it to them (knock on wood ) that hasnt happened to me yet !!