Washing A Finish Quilts
 

Does anyone wash your quilts after you had finish making them? If so,

Is it alright to add fabric softener in the rinse water, when washing a completed quilt?

I always wash mine. I don't see that adding fabric softener would be OK. That's likely how it will be washed down the road.

I do as usual: fabric softener sheet in the dryer!

I do the same!

i always wash & dry my quilts as soon as i finish the binding- i consider it the final step to a finished project- i use regular detergent & fabric softener- especially if it's a quilt i am giving to someone whom i expect to use & launder the quilt.

I also wash my quilts when i finish - Have to get rid of the cat hair!! LOL!!!! I don't use fabric softener, just vinegar in the rinse cycle.

I always was a finished quilt. I use 2 Colour Catchers, regular detergent and a dryer sheet when drying it. It is a good way to make sure all seams are secure and to get rid of any residues from handling the quilt.

I always wash on delicate cycle and color catcher (if dark quilt I use 2) and then dry with fabric softener sheet in the dryer till about half dry then lay flat on a bed or table to completely dry. I like the feel of the quilt after it is washed and of course of want to check for any places that need attention before I give the quilt away. No problems so far.

Ah, the things a person learns here!

Guess I need to start washing the finished products. :cool:

I always wash mine as I feel they must be quite dirty after being wallowed on the floor and picked up God-knows-what while in the process of being made. And as others have said to check to see that nothing is coming apart at the seams. But mostly just for cleanliness

I too like to wash my quilts when they're finished. Like 117becca said, gotta get rid of the cat hair!

I wash all the washable components before cutting them -
and I also wash the finished item after it is completed.

The finished item gets the gentle treatment - tepid to cool water, gentle cycle - dry on low until barely dry - hang on rack to get dry dry.

I prefer to use a low or non-scented detergent and to skip the fabric softeners - some people are sensitive to scents and the fabric softeners.

If it's a little dolly quilt I don't wash it when finished because I used leftovers from other quilts whose fabrics were prewashed. No cat or dog and those little quilts get very little handling so fabrics are fresh.
I prewash fabrics for top and backing and use 80/20 or a good poly batting for quilts. This helps keep the flat look I like when I wash and dry the finished quilt. I dry the quilt over my deck railing or over living room couch in bad weather. I don't use fabric softener. May in Jersey

I always wash my quilts when I am done. I have to get rid of the pet hair and all the oils from my hands. I also want to make sure that all my seams hold up. I've had a couple of seams that popped while laundering and I was able to fix them. I would hate for this to happen to the person I am giving it to. I launder just how I would wash anything else. I always pre wash my fabrics so I don't have a need to use any color catchers. What laundry soap and softner I use depends on who it is going to. If it is a baby quilt, I wash it in a "free" detergent and no fabric softner. If it is going to an adult and I know there are no allergies, I will wash it with Tide and Downy.

I always wash my quilts when finished, partly to get rid of the starch that I use while quilting, partly to be sure the color and seams hold, and partly because I just love seeing it nice and clean and finished! I don't use fabric softener but there's no reason you shouldn't, if you use it in your regular wash. I used to use it all the time, but then Costco started carrying a different type, and it was scented, and I hated the strong scent, so I stopped using it. I found out that I didn't miss it, so that's one less thing I have to buy. More money for fabric? :)

I always wash my quilts before giving them away in warm/hot water, hot dryer and fabric softener (either sheets in the dryer or liquid in the rinse water). I figure that's the way I wash my bed clothes and most people do too. Just want to make sure it will hold up to abuse :)

I wash my quilts like I would wash anything else. I use Costco brand washing powder and whatever softener is on sale, BUT i do use two color catchers just in case. I used fresh scent beads with my last quilt and it smells devine.

I always wash and dry mine with fabric softner, wanna make sure it doesn't fall apart..... LOL

I always wash mine, want to make sure they can stand the test of time....especially if I have any loose seams or whatever, does become apparent after the first wash....use a little fabric softner, always color catchers.....and over dry in the dryer......You have no idea of the abuse they will suffer in the future....especially if you are dealing with children. Then only thing I don't wash are wall banners/quilts and table runners as they are more usually not washed at all or not much to speak of..... Always feel it is better to be super safe than oh so sorry.......................

If it's a charity quilt, wash in hot water,(unsecented soap), 1 or 2 color catchers, then dry with no fabric softner sheets, as never know about allergies, etc. of the person getting the quilt. If it's my own quilt, will sometimes use fabric softner sheets when drying.

I guess I am different in that I like to work with new fabric and don't wash it before I use it. I don't wash it after I finish unless it is a charity quilt that requires it. I think they look old and used if they are washed. I don't drag mine across the floor if I can help it. No cats or dogs, either. When we had cats, they always liked to lay on whatever I was working on. When I would get a quilt in the frame to hand quilt, I always found a spot that sagged where they had been laying.

I wash mine in cold water on delicate. I don't use fabric softener, but I put bounce sheet in dryer, only dry it for about 10 minutes, then hang it to complete drying. Then I write to the receiver that it's just been washed, and these instructions.

Do not wash a quilt you are going to put in a show. I got big mark downs for having a "wrinkled" quilt in a recent show. Otherwise I always wash my quilt but do not use a dryer sheet because I don't want the scent in my quilt.

Yes, I always wash my quilts after I finish them. I don't want the recipient to have any surprises down the road. Most of my quilts are charity quilts, so they must be clean. Especially for QFK or other kid's charities, I use All Free & Clear detergent and then use a dryer sheet in the dryer, also All Free & Clear. When gifting quilts you should always be careful about scents because of the possibility of allergies with the person receiving them.

I always wash my quilts after they are completed...then hang them on the clothes line to dry. I check often so they don't get over-dry and stiff. In the winter, I drape the quilt in another room and let the air-dry take charge.

After I have finished, I take my quilts to the local laundromat and wash them in a super-sized tub with liquid laundry soap, my color catcher and then I use a (one) fabric sheet and put them in the dryer (not hot) and then take them home and hang them up on the line and let the wind blow them the rest of the way dry. I take pictures and then fold them up and put them in either a sheet or in a pillow case! Works for me! Edie

I also wash mine. Usually I take it over to my daughters as she has the newer front loading washer and dryer. Washing also hides a lot of my FMG slip ups.

Yep. wash ans semi-dry as with all clothes with the exception of I hang from out balcony to finish drying. I was as with any other clothing. If it doesn't hold up to a wash, I wouldn't give it to someone who will wash it.

I always wash before I use/gift. i use color catchers, mild "green"detergent and vinegar. I don't use fabric softener at all because of the build up in your clothes over time.

Whenever I read that pre-washing is "out" because it means ironing, or presewing the raw edge, I suspect the person is NOT using the "delicate" cycle (when my top loader machine went out I got a front loader and I got great rebates from the state! and it has a 12 minute rinse and spin cycle ... which must be for quilters!) and/or that they are overdrying. I prewash in very hot water in my laundry sink and treat with salt or vinegar in cold water if there is a lot of color bleeding. I dry (with an old dryer) but I put the cycle dial lower than the "finish" area and take it out before it can overdry and fold it right away. I NEVER have wrinkled fabric.

I always wash a finished quilt because it may have touched the floor and it simply has been worked on a lot. Never use anything but a no-allergy soap and NEVER use anything smelly like those little sheets that advertise how wonderful they smell. I can't stand them myself, and they actually make two sets of my grandchildren choke up... allergies! Again, I only use a delicate setting and normal warm water when washing and dry a touch lower than "finished". This fluffs up the quilt and they are never wrinkled. AND it always amazes me the number of threads I find that need clipping! I clip threads before the final wash, but always find more after...

Works for me, too!

Alison

I forgot to add to my (too) long entry last page that I now send "washing and drying instructions" with quilts. One daughter washed her children's quilts every other week with the regular laundry and they suffered badly. Temperature isn't important with my quilts but GENTLE cycle is, and not over drying is.

I wash the fabric before quilting to get rid of chemicals and/or other surprises (never know where fabric has been stored) Then I wash the finished quilt in whatever detergent is on sale and I don't use softeners, then dry in the dryer without dryer sheets. The finished wash is to make sure any glue, spray adhesive, markings, and handling are removed and that all the seams hold up. Plus, I want the recipient to have a clean gift.

I always wash mine with Color Catchers and dry them.

Me too. I have a top-loader and heard Shannon Lush (cleaning guru here in Aus.) talking about a better way to launder. One quarter of the recommended dose of washing power, two tablespoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), then fill the softener dispenser with cheap white vinegar. Works a treat, makes the washing powder go further and doesn't clog up your machine like softener or too much soap.

I wash my quilts that are used to cover up while sitting in a chair napping or to cover up while laying on the sofa. I have washed many that I have given away but not all of them. Guess I better wash them first. I have 19 doll quilts I just fininshed for my guild to give to Head Start, guess I better wash them.

Me, too. Between Leo shedding all over them & just the general gunk that I'm sure gets on them, I just feel better if I wash them. Plus, I want to make sure they hold up. I mean, I try to make them sturdy but you never know. But, if I'm giving them to someone, I assure them that even tho they've been washed, they're new. I don't want people thinking I gave them just something I had laying around.

I too, wash mine but I take them to the laundry mat to use the double or triple washer as they are heavy and quite bulky. I use color catchers 2 or 3 in the wash cycle and use liquid softner in the rinse. I take them home to dry :)

i always wash my quilts this is the final step for me,i can make sure it washes up with no seams coming undone, color bleeding or any thing else that could go wrong !

Always wash a finished quilt especially if I'm giving it to someone. Washing brings out any "boo-boo's" that I can fix before giving it. Also, tell them it's already been through washer and dryer so they won't hesitate to do the same when needed.