i wash before gifting, also, for the reasons that others do

If one washed/soaked the fabrics BEFORE cutting them, it minimizes the risk of bleeds later.

I don't think a quilt is finished until it has been washed - I am always excited to see what it looks like after it gets it's crinkle. I usually do a quick wash which only takes 15 minutes on my machine, and then dry on very low heat until just barely dry.

Same....I wash before giving. Then I can tell them, hey it's washed and it didn't run (or did, so use color catchers). Also, if it's for a child or baby, it's nice to have it all clean and cuddly for them. I know what you're saying about before and after. It just isn't crisp and new anymore if you put it in the dryer.

Here's an example. It definitely crinkled up. I used Fusi-boo batting from Joanne's. Not sure if that was why it got like that. It surprised me!

i hadn't even thought about washing lol
i come from the knitting world and i wash/block everything... just hadn't translated to quilts. then again, i've only made a quilted sewing machine cover.

i shall wash my first official quilt as soon as i'm finished with it. thanks for all the tips and reasons for washing before gifting!

I recently made a lime and yellow baby quilt for a friend's great-grandbaby and washed it before giving it away. I used "Quilt Wash" from the quilt store and put in a white towel as a color catcher. (Since then I bought a box of the real ones for my next quilt.) I washed on delicate, warm water. But I spread it out on my cutting table right from the washing machine, pulling and stretching it, and smoothing out the top so it was nice and square. Left it till it was just damp, then put it in the dryer to complete drying. It looked just fine.

i take mine to the laudromat too. those huge machines use lots of water and are pretty hard on the quilt, showing me that nothing terrible is going to happen to it once i pass it on to the new owner. i want my quilts to be used and loved and that means they are going to need washing form time to time. so i do it first :)

for me the crinkle around the stitching is part of the joy of quilts. sometimes i love the look of a newly stitched top but i know it's only half way to finished :)

aileen

I burned a brand new granny square afghan (bed sized) in a laundramat dryer that had issues. I'll never use one again for anything I care about.

I wash all mine before gifting - dirt; oils from hands; dog hair; etc. I might be the odd one out here but I just toss mine in my regular top loading washer on the perm. press setting with normal detergent and normally use regular fabric softener. I then toss into the dryer, also on a perm press setting until it's completely dry. No harm/no foul. They do 'crinkle' but that's the look I'm after and the primary reason I use cotton batting. Plus, as others have mentioned, it usually brings to light any 'production' booboos before gifting.