Yes, I do wash when the quilt is completely finished. I soak, not agitate. Rinse, spin, lie flat until almost dry then into the dryer on low for fluffing. Sometimes I forget and let it dry completely and that's ok. I still fluff. For the quiltsforkids.org quilts I wash in warm, rinse, spin and dry in the dryer. The hospitals will do that. If it holds up at my house it will hold up there. If I make a quilt that will not be used much I use Soak, a product that requires no rinsing and dry flat or dry on low. I love that product but it's expensive.

I ALWAYS wash my quilts before giving them away. I really like the antique puckered look plus it makes them so soft. I also have 2 cats (hence the name :) :) ) and whenever I sit down to hand quilt, it's like a magnet for them. I try my best to keep them off but it is a fact of life I have cat hair in the house! I don't have a front loading washer so I take mine to the laundromat(sp?). I don't put anything special in the wash but do stand there holding my breath to see if the suds turns color. I'll wash lap qiults in my washer at home. I have never prewashed fabric before but am doing some swaps here on this board that require it and I realize how much I hate it! I like the crispness of the fabric as it comes off the bolt, I think it holds up better to cutting and sewing. I think I'll handwash the next batch I have to do, they come out of the washer tied in knots around each other with strings everywhere, Yikes!

I put them in the gentle cycle, regular laundry soap, then in the dryer until "just" dry. I like how the Warm & natural batting shrinks a little bit and gives it an antique look! If a quilt can't stand up to my washing, it certainly won't stand up to every day use and washing by whomever I give it to!

Boy am I the oddball!! I don't prewash or wash after the quilt is finished. I like the look of a crisp finish to a quilt, therefore I do not wash. But after reading all of your responses, maybe I should. The only reason why I would, would be to soften the quilt since I use a spray adhesive.

Yes, always ~ to remove starch and any dirt just from handling it, any accidental kitty fur, to clean the batting; and, definitely, to make sure it stays together~!! :D

Happy quilting ~ :D

I just started pre washing fabric. I make ex large queen or king sized quilts. I do not trust putting them in a big washer at the laundromat since you don't know what may have been in there. Also they would be exposed to smoke. There are smokers in the laundromat. Our home is smoke free. I quit 12 years ago. We also don't have any pets.
I just take my finished quilts and give them a spin in my dryer.

I do not prewash and it depends what I do with the quilt whether I wash or not.

I always wash mine.

I use pounds of sizing to get things to match and stay flat, so I have to wash every quilt, or they are stiff as boards. I call it 'giving the bloom'. I just love the soft puckery results.

I do unless the piece is a wall hanging that will probably never be laundered and needs to be perfectly flat. Not only do I want to get all the dust and stuff (cat hair) off the finished quilt, I like the look and feel of a quilt once it has been laundered and allowed to find it's own degree of shrinkage. I experiment a lot with different types of batting so I get a few surprises but I've never been really unhappy with a washed quilt.