I'm curious....after you finish a project that will be given to someone, do you wash it first or just give it "new"? What if it's for a small child?

I have not washed a gift quilt, but I give washing instruction.

I don't wash either unless it is a rag quilt

I always wash because if it doesn't make it I want to be the first yo know!

I always wash them.

I always wash before giving. If there is to be a problem with washing I want to be the one doing the washing. It's a matter of prefference.

I always wash a quilt before I send it off to live in its new home. It can be years between the time a fabric gets bought and when it gets put in a quilt. I quit pre-washing fabrics several years ago for most quilts so by the time a fabric gets into a quilt it could really use it!

I wash them all first :D:D:D

I do not prewash my fabrics before using them (exception is flannels)
I do wash all of my quilts before they go out the door. I usually throw in a couple of Shout Color Catchers.

Reminds me, I just finished 2 quilts, I should get them started in the washer!!

I don't prewash my fabrics so I wash the finished product before I give it away. It gives it that puckered look and I also use washable marker to mark my quilting so the wash gets rid of those also.

Yup, same here!

I prewash my fabric and wash before I gift them, especially for children. Small children may often have allergies to the sizing or dyes in the quilt, besides washing makes it softer.

I don't prewash fabric (I did however recently wash a bunch of red fabric but did not use hot water nor did I machine dry it, so no shrinking lol) because I like the krinkle look. So I always make sure I wash quilts so they krinkle prior to giving them as gifts so the gift getter doesn't think they "messed" up the quilt!

I don't wash I like then to have the new fabric smell :roll: LOL

I made a nice lap quilt for Jim's brother for Halloween. The cats sat on it a lot while it was in progress, plus I used chalk to draw the lines, so I did wash this one. It's possible that I could get into the habit. We will see.

I don't wash. I love the nice crisp feel of a new quilt

I wash the finished quilt too - want to check that there are no seams that need touching up, wash out any glue I've used binding, and any markings I used for quilting. Also gives me a good test that my label text still shows up.

I like to wash before giving. Love the crinkle look, the cleanliness, getting rid of chemicals because I never pre-wash, etc. Plus what the others say about it falling apart, bleeding, etc. I'd rather have it happen on my watch, but I'd be mad, mad, mad! LOL!

I wash before storing my fabric. Somebody told me that if a fabric comes from Offshore manufacturers it may be sprayed while still in the cargo containers to kill off any insects that may be travelling with it, and to also kill any insect eggs. If this is true, I would not want to give an unwashed quilt to anyone. I make a lot of kids quilts and try to be careful that way.

Me too.

I alway's wash all items even the doll quilts because I live with cats and dogs in the house and people have allergies. Also, when I wash, I use detergent with no perfumes, no dyes, alway's use Clorox 2, and a softener with no perfumes, no dyes so there is no static when they take it out of the pkg. Besides, my body oils and such are on there and I do not want that to be a problem. I also wash all my crocheted afghans, prayer shawls, winter scarves, ets.

So yes, I wash everything before giving it to people except new clothes with the tags still on.

Will we get to see them??????

Every one gets a bubble bath, and fab softner, downy april fresh, so they can recieve, fluffy, soft, krinkely. :)

i wash everything. i don't know what people are allergic to, and who knows what the quilt has been on or what's been on the quilt?

I always wash just to be sure it will not fall apart ha ha :) :)

I usually prewash the fabric and wash the finished quilt - always with color catchers. I use elmers glue when assembling the binding (Sharon Schamber's method), so I want to wash that out when I'm done. I get to inspect it after it's washed before I give it away...just in case.

i ALWAYS wash my quilts before they go out the door. I want to make sure there are no seams that come undone, or any other issues. it is much better for me to catch anything ahead of time, if i gave the quilt, the recipient washed it and something came un=done they would panic and be horribly stressed and upset, even if it's a really small, easy fix problem, so i make sure they do not have to experience such stress. besides, i want to see how it's going to look when it's finished, and it's not finished till it's been washed the first time.

I usually wash - especially the baby quilts. If something's going to go wrong I want it to happen to me first!

I wash my new fabric as soon as I get it. That way I can store it with the rest of my stash and not have to worry about what's been washed and what hasn't. Reds get washed in hot water, and everything else gets washed in warm. Then I throw it all in the dryer on low heat. I only use a little bit of detergent, and no fabric softener. Afterwards, everything is carefully folded and is kept in a cat-free room, much to their disappointment. ;-)

Finished quilts get washed before they're given away, to fluff them up and make them extra-cuddly. (And to make sure everything holds up properly! LOL! So far, so good.)

Can I ask why you stopped prewashing your fabric, I thought that was a golden rule. I have washed every yard of fabric that I have brought into my home for the last 5 years, and then spend hours and hours and hours ironing it.

I always wash fabric, but never washed the final quilt, becasue I wanted it to look new. But someone suggested that it be washed before giving to ensure it washes OK, so I'll try the the next time.

I was taught the same thing in my quilting class and I too have spent hours at the ironing board. Since joining this board, I have had numerous folks tell me if you're buying quality fabric, there is no need. (Unless it is a red/black high dye/bleedable fabric) My stash has all been washed and I haven't bought anything new recently but who knows......I might take the plunge and gasp.......not wash the next stack that comes into the house.

Because it just isn't neccessary. I don't even prewash reds anymore. Fabrics are dyed with chemical dyes. If they "bleed" and another fabric picks up the color it won't be set and will wash out. I buy good quality fabrics and as a rule they all shrink pretty much the same. Puckering is your friend. It covers a multitude of quilting mistakes.

And even if I did prewash I wouldn't spend hours and hours ironing it all just to have to iron it again when I was ready to use it. Why iron twice? Plus new fabrics have a finish on them to help prevent fading.

I do not wash, but for those of you who do wash, I have a question, You wash your top and backing fabric. So do you wash you batting? I use 100% cotton batting most of the time, so if your washing the top & backing (Preshrunk) and you don't wash your batting it is going to shrink and create puckers correct?

I wash all my material before using and I wash my quilts when I finish them. I use the dissapering pens and the water wash out pens to do my marking and I want to be sure the ink is out of them.
The finished quilts is washed with just cold water and put in the dryer on permapress, not completely dry tho.

I prewash all my fabrics before I put them in my stash.

As for the quilts...

If they're machine appliqued...I wash as part of the process.

If I used a blue washout marker or pencil or starch...they're washed.

If it's for a baby...it's washed.

Other than that...unwashed.

Due to allergies, I have to prewash the fabric when I get it home, so unless I see some dirt on it, I do not prewash the finished quilt before giving.

I always wash mine. Just to make sure it washes well and there are no problems.

I usually leave a little "DNA" here and there so I always wash.

with a dog and cat I always wash then put in a matching drawstring bag to gift it. Never know who has what allergies at its' new home.