I never wanted to see what would happen to any of my quilts after they were washed, but a recent community project made washing the quilts necessary.
I have a front loading washing machine, so that is almost as gentle as it can get. When you consider that most of my quilts go to veterans in hospitals -- it is a good idea that we pre-wash before sending the quilts into an institution setting.
Anyway, I used color magnet sheets in the wash, using cold water wash and rinse.
When I put it in the dryer, I put it on the longest, hottest dry setting I could get.
I have been so pleased with the results, that I will be washing all of my quilts from now on (as soon as they are finished) ... they weren't all crinkled up as I thought they might be, but then ... I don't do a lot of quilting ... the purpose of quilting, after all is to anchor the three layers (top, batting, and backing) together so that the quilt will stay a quilt once it is washed.
The fact that quilting can be beautiful is a side-benefit. It's primary purpose is practical <wave>