I don't know what to do some people wash they quilt when thy finish it and some do not i want to know what should i do are you suppose to wash it ....what you think and what should i do????

I did not wash after finish and don't know what is the useful 4 washing

I wash all my quilts after I've quilted them. It seems to set the " puckers" and looks different and complete to me. My LQS told me not to forget the washing after I was done. I figured my quilt was not finished until it was washed and dryed.

I was after I finish, mostly to make sure nothing looks "off" before I give it away. But I also have a dog, and want to limit the dog fur also.I would hate to have a seam come out, or something horribly wrong after it comes out of the washer. Mostly, I suppose this is just paranoia.

Because I have so many cats I have to wash my quilts after finishing to help remove all the cat hair. But even if I didn't have cats I would wash for the following reasons:
To remove any markings
To remove any dirt the quilt may have gotten during the quilting process and most importantly
to ensure the quilt will hold up to washing, especially if it is a gift.

I always wash after. It gives me a chance to to a final check on everything before I give it away. Once I had used some poor quality fabric, and after it was done and washed, some of the seams had frayed quite badly. Glad I did it before I gave it away. Since I was under the gun on time, I fabric glued them back together. Cheating, I know, but not time to start over.

I always wash my quilts when I finish. I love the way they feel and smell fresh out of the dryer.

I wash when my quilt is all done to remove any marks I may have made and to wash out the glue. I glue down my binding before I hand-stitch it down. I don't have to use pins doing it that way. Anyway, I need to wash out the glue.

I wash my quilt after quilting but before binding. The fabrics set and I can then lay it on the floor to dry. Make sure the lines are staight and it lays perfectly. If you have a carpet you can use T-pins to tack it down. If no carpet, I use something heavy on the corners. When dry I then square it and bind it. The ones I have not washed were not so well squared after they were washed. Also the quilting marking lines will go away, since I use a water soluble marker.

Maria

I never wash until I think it needs it.

I do not prewash my fabrics. I do wash all quilts before they leave my house. I want to make sure they are clean, free of dog hair and since I use a basting spray, I want to make sure that is gone as well.
I have a front loader washer. I just run it on a casual cycle with low spin, a little detergent (I use Amway stuff) and a color catcher. I then toss in the dryer on a lower temperature.

I don't wash my quilts after they are done. My Grandmother told me a long time ago to never wash a gift because you wash out the good luck and dry in the bad! I know, I know, another superstition, but I've just always done it that way.

I wash when I am finished. I don't always prewash, I use starch, Elmer's glue, fusible, etc... I wouldn't want to wear clothes that had all of that in it without washing it first, and our quilts are in contact with our skin too :D:D:D

Great question, thank you for asking. This is a recent question for me, I had never heard of washing when complete. I do prewash 99% of my fabric, if its precut I don't prewash.
I did wash when I used basting spray.

I toss mine in the dryer with a very damp, large bath towel and a dryer sheet. It comes out fresh and all the fuzzies are off.

I always wash it before I give a quilt away. Then I know it's gone throught he machine once and if there is a problem, I'll know about it before its gone.

I wouldnt wash a wall hanging though. I'm not likely to wash it anyway.

I don't wash.

Thanks, that is a great idea :thumbup:

Like this idea!

I only prewash Batiks ,Flannel, and Swap fabric..if it is mandatory,

Flannel, especially when mixing it with cottons, or used on the back or a cotton quilt...it shrinks more than cotton.

Other than that, I wash every quilt when it is done..in case it falls apart! :roll: and because of the chemicals on the fabric from the manufacturer. I love they way they look and feel after i get them out of the dryer..

I like your idea, may have to copy :)

I wash everything before i use it in a quilt. If it is going to shrink or the color run, I want that to happen before I put it in a quilt. Some batiks need to be treated with Synthropal. It hellps to set the dye so it doesn't run anymore. I find that dark colors like purple or navy tend to run and some reds do too. I was always told the rule is wash all or none of your fabrics in a quilt.

I always wash the quilts before I give them away. I think it makes them all clean,soft & snuggly, and removes any yucky finish stuff as I don't pre-wash my material.
I toss a color catcher in, if I think the colors might bleed.
:)

I always wash mine when done. Even if it's just for me. I just like the way they look.

I don't prewash my fabrics, unless I'm afraid it isn't colorfast. So I do wash my quilts. I make a lot of baby quilts and I don't want to send any chemicals their way.

I don't wash finished quilts - but I don't use starch, glue or basting spray and I am very particular about keeping them clean while working on them.

If you have used any spray starch, sizing, marking tools, or have not pre-washed your fabric, it might be a good idea to wash. Using cool water and very little, if any, soap, will assure that the colors are fast, and any chemicals are washed out of the fabrics. Sometimes it even gives the quilt a new look then before washing.

After the quilt is done, I wash on the delicate cycle with warm water, very small amount of soap, with an extra rinse, and tumble dry low heat. I do not wash wall hangings. There is generally a small amount of shrinkage, maybe 2-3%, just enough to give that wrinkly comfortable soft puff and it seems to "set" the thread and fabric together. I prefer working with new fabric, I like the smell and feel of it! When it is washed first, it has to be ironed and the fuzzies need to be trimmed away, extra work! But if you swap blocks, they want it prewashed. However, if I were going to work with bold colors that were going to be next to a bright white, I would consider a prewash. I admit some people are concerned about fadding, but I have never had a problem with my fabrics, except when I have been working with old (50+ years old) fabric.

I NEVER pre-wash my fabrics because I am too lazy to iron all those yards of fabric to get them ready to cut. I ALWAYS wash my completed quilt with a color catcher because I love the way it puckers up a little and looks.:-)

I always pre-wash my fabrics before cutting and always wash after the quilt is finished. The quilting takes on an entirely new look after it has been washed. I love the way it feels after this final washing. It's much softer looking, feeling, etc. But I can see both sides of the debate. I don't think there is really any wrong way, just personal preference. Just watch out for fabrics bleeding into each other. ;)

What kind of glue do you use?

I prewash some dark fabrics before using but always wash quilts after they're finished. They're softer that way plus I mostly wash out the cat and dog fur that fabric sometimes acquires in my house. Have 2 baby quilts in planning stages and will prewash darker fabs but also definitley wash afterwards. Never wash the wallhangings and am on the fence about the quilted bag I'm making for a friend.

What is a color catcher?

I kinda like your method........the only ones that I wash when finished are the chenille ones to get the fluff, fluffier.......

I prewash my fabric for quilts but don't bother for hangings........

I will think about this after-washing.........mmmmmmm

thanks, I will try it on the next one going out.

I wash all fabrics when I get them home from the store and as soon as I finish the hand sewing on the binding, I put it into the washer, then the dryer. I always FMQ them and washing and drying make them look so much better. I would not even think of giving or storing a quilt that was not freshly laundered. :-D :-D :-D

A color catcher is a sheet (similar to a dryer sheet) that is thrown into the wash. It pulls all of the color from the wash water onto it to keep one color from migrating onto another. You can find it with the laundry stuff. I think Shout carries a brand of it.

I wash my quilts when they are done. It just makes them look fresh and comfy. I also use warm water,gentle cycle and dry on low heat.

When you wash them do you dry them in dryer???

I wash EVERYTHING. Don't want to worry about shrinkage after quilt is finished and all fab shirnks some. After quilt is done, I wash/dry. Love the way the quilting show up after its w/d. I always w/d before giving the quilt away. Want to make sure my house smells are out of it.

That is good advice!