Okay newbie question. I'm finishing up a baby quilt for my niece and was wondering if I should wash the finished product before I give it? Should I just give it to her new and let her wash it? I haven't quilted it yet and have all the pieces. Should I wash the backing and the quilt top before quilting because of possible running? Oh so many questions. This is my second quilt and first baby one, so I'm still working out all the kinks. Help plz. I'll post a pic of the quilt top so you can see the colors.

i have done it both ways if for a little one i would wash it

you definately don't want to wash the top! you'll have a mess of threads like no other! I always wash my finished quilts before they leave (if they fall apart I want to be the first to know!!!) :shock:

I would wash it, but wait til it's quilting and the binding is on. Wash it with a color catcher and you should be OK.

I'd wash the finished quilt with a color catcher (or 2) and some gentle soap (unscented, baby soap, woolite, etc.).

I would wash it before giving it to them with directions to re wash it again with their baby soap.

My daughter is sensitive to different brands of detergent and has been since she was a newborn. I didn't wash quilts made by my mom because it was mom and she had washed them and we had a rash for a while.

I always wash mine before giving away also. (after it's quilted and bound) I keep a bottle of baby laundry soap on hand. I tell them I've washed it, but of course, they may want to rewash. I'm like Kathy, if there is a problem, I want to be able to fix it before I give it away! Congrats on making a lovely baby quilt!

I wash it when it is totatlly finished, before gifting.

Thank you, thank you. So glad I found this site. I'll hopefully have it finished this weekend? (fingers crossed) and can send it out. My first quilting job also. I figured 'it's small, it won't be bad', we'll see. My DH went out to buy me a walking foot yesterday cause I've been complaining about not having one all week so I couldn't finish the quilt. He asked the salesman for a 'floating foot' and then proceeded to tell him what it was for and came home with the right thing. He's adorable.
K, so wish me luck :). I'll post the finished product...as long as it turns out okay.

do NOT wash your quilt top before it is quilted and bound...you will wind up with a very big mess and a ruined quilt top. I always wash my quilts when they are finished before giving or letting go anywhere, it removes any marks i may have made, any oils/grime from working with the fabric and allows me to make sure everything is ok...if you give it before washing and something does run or come apart the reciepient will be crushed and very stressed...it is better for you to find out those things before the quilt goes anywhere.

finish the quilt first - quilting and binding. Then wash it before giving it. This way if you messed up on a seam allowance and a seam comes loose, you have a chance to fix it. You can iron it after it is washed to bring back that new appearance.

Hope you can 'float' through the quilting and binding with out any problems --Don't forget a label with the basic info

I'd wash after quilting and with a Color Catcher. BTW - your quilt is gorgeous! Love the purple!!

Once it is all finished and bound, I'd wash it in Ivory Snow or Dreft which are very gentle for baby things.

I wash every quilt I make before it goes anywhere - to me, it is not complete until it's survived a wash and dry, lol. For a baby quilt, I'd wash it in a baby detergent (which I always have, because I have children with sensitive skin, but I like my own nice scented detergent, so I do our laundry separately), but if you don't have baby detergent, I'd just wash and tell the mom what you used should she wish to re-wash in her own detergent, giving washing instructions.

Actually, I would *especially* wash a baby quilt because I use so much "crap" putting them together...starch, 505, Elmer's...it NEEDS to be washed before going near a teeny baby. :)

Edit...Oh! Just re-read - DON'T wash the top before it's quilted! Put it all together first, bind it and then wash. If you are concerned about the colours running, I hear Shout Color Catchers are great, never used them myself.

Wash it AFTER you're done quilting and use one of those color catchers. It should be fine. DO NOT - oh pleasepleaseplease - wash the top. I had to do that to an old top that was in my MIL's stash and I still have not figured out how to sort all the threads and tangles.

You did a great job on piecing the top. Good luck with the quilting, can't wait to see it. I also wash all quilts when I'm finished.

I wash all my gift quilts before they go out the door. I want to make sure it all comes out "ok"

I always use a color catcher like everybody else does.. those things are magic. I'm making a baby quilt right now...I always wash my quilts in hot water and dry them on high heat. I figure that gets them ready for the "real world" and if there are any issues they are gonna show up while I can still fix them. I'm going to wash this one I'm working on and then send instructions for it to be washed again in gentle baby soap before use. =) Its for a little bitty tiny 3# baby girl named Finley Claire. Isn't that the cutest name for such a tiny girl?

What a beautiful quilt. What is the pattern called ?

I wash every quilt I give before it goes out. I use ORVUS paste, which is a pure soap with no detergent. I bought a big container of it at Fleet Farm, which will last me a lifetime, for 1/10th of what the same thing is at a quilt shop sold as a "quilt wash." I offer it to many of my quilt recipients. I wash in tepid water (fabrics have been prewashed with ORVUS & dried before cutting) and hang over a rod to dry. ORVUS is the soap used for cleaning farm animals and for fine washables. It has no bleach, scents, phosphates or color enhancers. I tell the recipient how to wash the quilt and provide a pillowcase-type coordinating bag for storing it.

I would finish the quilt first and then wash it, I have done several this way and they have turned out nice. I have also used fabric softner in the washing process.

Nothing new to say about washing. Just wanted to say that quilt is beautiful. :thumbup:

All new fabrics, either in quilts or in clothing, should be washed before using on a newborn. Their skin is so sensitive and the fabric finishes could cause a rash or allergies.

I'd wash it after finishing and before giving...it's a beautiful quilt! Also - IMHO, Shout Color Catchers are the best ones out there. We tried a differnt one and it didn't work as well.

Beautiful quilt indeed. I agree with everyone who said quilt first, wash second.

I wash each baby quilt after it is quilted and considered finished.

Love the colours.
I would also wash it.

Don't wash the top since it will fray badly! I would finish it and then wash it---but ask about sensitive skin first. My grandson had only one kind of laundry soap that didn't give him itchy rashes when he was little, so his mom had to wash everything he used first...

When gifting for little ones as they often want to use it right away - I always wash it. However, I always use the "All" Free and Clear (hypoallergenic) wash so whomever the gift is intended for won't have any potential to an adverse reaction to the detergent itself or the starch I used during pressing and construction. Nothing like a clean and snuggly blanket to bring a smile to someone's face!

Explosive blessings, abundance and inspiration to you all!
- The Creative Seamstress

For baby quilts I always wash(after it's completed) to remove the starch and the chemicals in fabric, but I dry it over a rack where I can smooth it out.

I generally don't wash quilts before they leave, baby quilt or no.

I figure that is up to the parents to decide what they want to do with the quilt. If they want to just hang it on the wall, it's nice & crisp for them to do so.

If they want to use it for the baby, they'll likely wash it when it comes into the house, regardless of whether I washed it or not.

Same...love the color catchers....The purples you used are so great!! It will be a well loved quilt!

by the way, you have made a beautiful 1st quilt. You did a wonderful job.

I wash all our laundry in "free and clear" detergent. we have a granddaughter with severe allergies to dyes, scents, foods,etc. and i want to be sure when she comes to gaga and papas she can use the towels, blankets, sheets, etc.
I was told that front loading washing machines are not as hard on fabrics and seams as top loading machines. Anyone else ever heard of that?

I would wash it before I would give it away that way you will know first if anything is wrong with it after washing it. I also wash my fabric before I even mark it or cut it.

I have made a lot of baby quilts but I always prewash my fabric. And I also use a detergent that is made for babies. Since you have already made the top I would finish up the quilt and then wash before giving so it will be nice and soft. I love the quilt and the colors you used.

I wash after the quilt is finished. Then I add the label! :D

Nice job!! I always wash quilts AFTER I finish the quilting and binding. They just don't seem finished until I've done that. I like how they look a little old once they come out of the dryer. The quilting is much more noticeable. I would throw a color catcher in the washer (which is a sheet that looks like a dryer sheet you can find in the detergent aisle of your grocery). I'm always amazed at the color it picks up. Your little niece will come to love this I'm sure, and you are going to love how you are going to feel as you get it ready to give to her. Tie a lavender satin ribbon around it and surround it with purple tissue paper and listen to all the ooooohhh's and aaaaaahh's as it's opened!! Enjoy.

wash after its all quilted and bound. If you wash it before quilting, it'll have a tangle of threads everywhere! If you're
concerned with colors running, "Color Catchers" are wonderful things.