Do you pre-wash your quilts before gifting?
 

I love the look of washed quilts, but don't want gifted quilts to look "used". Do you prewash before gifting or do you present them right off the machine?

Only children's quilts

YES! Every quilt I make is laundered as the final step after the binding. If anything is going to happen when my quilt is laundered I want to be the one to find it, not a recipient who would be upset, stressed, traumatized . I sell many, many quilts, commissions, special orders, and ones that are just seen & wanted. Every one has been laundered. None has looked ( used)

Usually I wash the completed quilt but it depends on whether or not I have time before it needs to go to the recipient.

Yes always. I use cotton batting and don't preshrink. I also don't prewash my fabrics. So if I gave it without washing there is always a risk of bleeding (which so far I have never had) and it would look different (but not used) after washing. I also wash them in cold water and dry on regular because that is what the recipient would do. I know my quilts will not become heirlooms and that is fine with me. If the recipient enjoys them for as long as they want, that is good enough for me. YMMV

I also add a note on how to care for there new quilt, and tell them it has been washed In mild detergent with no scents added.

I agree...and in addition...since quilts look "different" after they are washed that first time, i want to make sure the recipient gets the quilt as it will be/look in the future when they wash it.....and i quilt in my family room, which is right next to my kitchen...so i don't want any lingering cooking odors.... as soon as it's finished, it gets washed, dried and packaged.

I never washed quilts before gifting until I joined the QB. It made total sense to me to make sure the quilt will hold up to being washed is more important that the crisp new fabric look. Everyone I have given a quilt knows the quilt has been washed and if they have any future problem to let me know so I can hopefully fix it.

I always wash before gifting. It allows me to see what the final product looks like. I also include washing instructions when handing over. The wash also removes chemicals in the fabric but also my sweaty paw stains etc.
my advatar was too large for my domestic washer so it went to the dry cleaners for a wash.

Yes, for several reasons:
1) I mark my quilts, so I need to get out the marking lines.
2) I want to remove as many allergens as possible, especially since I make baby quilts
3) I love the crinkly look that comes from washing
4) It helps to be able to tell the recipient that it really is okay to wash the quilt every week because I already washed it twice before giving it to them & it is just fine. The applique will not fall off with washing (a fair number of people believe that will happen when they get their first quilt) and the quilt will not shrink up ... provided they follow the same procedure I did. (Cold Water, no Clorox/Clorox 2, Low heat)

If you made a special quilt for someone, why not put a quilt tag on the back so they know it's just for them? I put their name, my name, the date given, a little note & basic wash instructions on my quilt tags. For the quilt I'm making for my 3 year old niece, I'm also putting together a mini scrapbook showing the process of me making her quilt (marking lines, applique work - front & back of quilt top photos, piecing, quilting, etc. with little notes along the way). It is something she can keep to share with her own children some day and hopefully may be something she will look back on when she starts quilting herself. She loves hearing stories about how my quilts are made & asking me 5,000 questions about every single notion, thread & piece of fabric I own. It is adorable & I love it. This is a way to memorialize that time together and it's proof to anyone who doubts that this is a new quilt that I actually made myself.