I do not prewash my fabric; I wash all of my quilts when they need it in my washing machine with a dye magnet and dry them in dryer -- have done this with king-size down. Quilts do not need special treatment, unless they are made of special materials: silk, etc.

Richbrote, your quilts are awesome!
QuiltingQueen, I didn't think to smell the Walmart fabric. Wish I had. Just an interesting point. I am glad you mentioned it. I have noticed the shrinkage.
Grammypatty7, (I like your user name!) I also feel my quilts are more inviting to snuggle after I wash and fabric softner them. I wash each new quilt from 3 to 5 times right away. (Vinegar soak each time.) If anything wiggles out of place I want to know it before it leaves home.
I think I might do it in part because I want to handle them and enjoy them some before they go away.
Penny Doty, thank-you so much for reminding me that some people are alergic to laundry detergent. I wash my quilts and afghans in the Walmart store brand detergent and fabric softner. I have never had anyone mention a reaction but maybe they wouldn't tell me if they had one. I have never once thought about it. Maybe they know to wash before using it if they know they are allergic? OOOOPs, my bad. I will have to think about this for awhile. UMMMMMMMM. Anyone know what detergent people are less alergic to? A whole new topic. Ummmmm.

You can use any detergent that is fragrance, etc free. I think it's usually in a white bottle.

I wash most fabric before (especially if it's for a baby or small child). A good fluffing in the dryer is usually all I do when it is finished. We have to cats or dogs, thus no pet hair around, but general house dust is generally taken care of with the fluffing.

Allergies to soaps and detergents: my daughter and her children are allergic to tide and Downey which is what I use and I can't stand the product she uses but she knows that when her family gets a quilt from me it will "smell pretty" and for some she will have to re-wash it while others love to snuggle and smell how pretty it smells. We have more allergies to the world than most people I know. Most people with major allergy issues will know what to do to protect themselves but at least my quilt will go to them fresh and clean and the colors are definitely set.

My user name is that I am Grammy, named Patty and have 7 grandchildren who call me Grammy so a practical user name there. Initially I signed in as Patty and saw there are a few other Patty's so decided to add the GrammyPatty7 to make me perhaps rememberable.

I wash & dry my quilts after I finish them. I usually throw in a shout color catcher just to be on the safe side! I also hardly ever prewash my fabrics before using.

I've never heard of Synthrapol. Thanks for the information.

richbrote, I love both quilts, especially like the light house, my daughter collects anything with lighthouses, and I plan later to make her one with a light house, after many projects that are in the works now are finished. Beautiful work.

Ditto :-) Well said. Thanks :thumbup:

I prewash all my fabrics then heavily starch and press before cutting. Once a quilt is finished I throw it in the wash on gentle (I have a front load machine) and dry on medium. I wash the finished quilt because of all the starch. It's not very cuddly when it's stiff as cardboard. :)

I recently finished a quilt that I used flannel as a backing on. This was my first and last time using flannel. I washed and dried the flannel twice before using it. It still bled through the quilt stitching on the top in some white areas. I was very disappointed. Maybe it was because it was red, or maybe low quality flannel (I bought it from fabric.com), but either way it left a bad taste in my mouth for flannel.