I have been washing gift quilts first if they are meant to be used on the bed or as lap quilts. I also provide washing/drying instructions. If they are wall hangings, they are not washed. I also love the soft quilted look when a quilt is washed.

nhweaver, I do not prewash my baby quilts for the same reason....tell mom it has not been washed because I figured she would want to use her own detergent. I always include a color catcher and tell her it will crinkle up when it is washed so don't panic. I've seen the quilts since they've been using them and they look great. So far I've only given away baby quilts. I'm in the process of making one for one of my sisters so when I'm done I don't know if I'll wash it or not. Probably not because I'll probably be taking that last stitch on the binding as I wrap it to give it to her. :-) But, I love all the information on here as to why people do wash before gifting. Thanks everyone.

Wow I am surprised...don't we learn something new everyday!
I always wanted to wash the quilts before giving anyone but thought it was not nice giving them something that looks used...lol
Thanks for asking the question...

I always wash my quilts before gifting or donating.

yep, this is me also :)

I wish they could still look new also, but at the same time with the chalk that I use to draw the stitching lines, and the cat hair etc., it is probably best to get those things out before you give it away.

I pre-wash both fabrics and batting - 80/20 W and N. Sometimes the fabrics are prewashed several times until the color catchers no longer catch colors! I don't wash the finished quilt before giving it away, because I love the crisp look. I always give giftees washing instructions and emphasize that it has been machine pieced and quilted, so it is very safe to be machine washed and dried. I tell my giftees that I wash and dry my own quilts that way.

I have never washed them before gifting them, but now think maybe I should.

I always wash! Besides, don't you want to see what the recipient is going to see after they wash it.....it doesn't stay all crisp and new forever. And besides, I love that crinkled look...it gives a quilt character and a sense of belonging.

I always wash before gifting. I generally don't prewash and use color catchers as well.

I always pre wash all my fabrics, and then do not wash the quilt.

I do not pre-wash my fabrics nor wash before gifting. I do include a color catcher with each and explain it is meant to be loved not placed in a closet. But I am rethinking this now, so I will try it on the next gift. Thanks for all the input, just never thought much about it - yeah 'newbie', that's me after only 2 well almost 3 years. Never too old to learn.

I wash before giving. Mostly because a lot of the quilts I make are for someone sick or in the hospital. I want them to be soft and cuddly.

I always wash after making. I like the crinkle effect from the quilting.

I always wash my quilts before giving them away. Don't know if one of the fabrics will bleed and they won't know what to do as I always use the color catchers and wash a couple of times to be sure I've got all the loose dye out. Also I use glue a lot while assembling the quilt so I want that out too. I happen to like the crinkled look and hopefully they do too.

Always wash first

I wash too

I never prewash my fabric or prewash my quilts. I always tell the people I'm gifting the quilts to that they haven't been washed yet. I tell them to wash them in cold water and dry them in the dryer. I tell them they will shrink a bit - get the crinkly look and that's normal. Everyone has been fine with that.

Me too! I always wash before sending my gift quilts.

I agree with others about prewasing. However, if you are giving this quilt to someone with chemical sensitivities, you might ask them what to use. I use Orvus to wash my fabric and quilts and even my bro, who has major chemical sensitivities has no problem with it. But, if all you have is Tide, consider a double rinse or just giving it to that person unwashed.

Another issue. I spent nearly $ 300 to get my Mom's quilt quilted. The quilter did not preshrink or use a batting with minimal shrinkage as requested. I was horrified how much the batting shrunk, ruining the original quilted look. All the whimsical butterflies and dragonflies and birds disappeared into homey lumps. My mom was very disappointed. It was 2 years before she could bring herself to use the quilt again.

It would never occur to me that my quilt would fall apart! I wash them to get the dust, oils from my skin and any extraneous dirt off.

Oh my, I never wash the quilts I gift, I include a color catcher with washing instructions........but now I feel guilty!

I always wash :thumbup:

I guess I have to join the ranks of the renegades! I mostly make wall hangings and small quilts, so washing is not necessary in my opinion. I do, however, "dust" my wall quilts, either by fluffing them in "air" setting in dryer, or with my vacuum and brush attachment.

This is just my opinion...for what it's worth!

Anita

I do this too. Prewash to test color, shrinkage, eliminate chemicals. Post-wash to get rid of any marks or smudges, and to ensure that it holds together.

I am a washer too...I pre-wash before I start (new and vintage fabrics), starch (a lot), and have things lying about in various stages of construction plus have a house were there are more pets than people. I also want to make sure that my quilts hold together and look as good as possible. Then they are gifted....along with instructions for washing. I just want to make sure everything is "just so" and besides I want them to be loved and used...not be put aside ..... there's nothing precious about my waggas and quilts. :)

What is/are "waggas"? I googled and only found references to a city in NSW.

I want to know what waggas are, too. (I don't think they are excited, friendly, happy dogs)

I'm not worried about something I've made falling apart - I do usually wash a quilt before sending it on it's way. When we had cats, they usually participated in the process. Not everyone is as fond of cats as I am.

There was one exception to the washing before gifting - I took the king-sized hummer out to my daughter-in-law for her to check it - and there was no way she was going to let it out of her possession! (She had waited a LONG time for it!)

I always wash them, for all the reasons already mentioned.

Recently I made a quilt with lots of deep, dark and bright blues. I was afraid it might fade or bleed on itself, so I washed it with four or five color catchers in a machine that did not have an agitator. My concern was that the agitation might pop threads or do some other kind of damage. After I pulled out the freshly washed quilt, I could not believe how much color the color catchers had absorbed. Maybe, just maybe, that will be all the quilt needed to be ready for the daily wear and washing it will get at its new home.

Mostly I like to wash my fabric before I cut out the pattern, but this time I had used pre-cuts and was afraid to wash them first.

Well, I am in the minority! I never wash them, because I like the way they look; all brand new and shiny! I wouldn't know what to do to fix one anyway. I figure if there's a problem, someone will tell me.

They are Aussie Quilts Peckish and Bearisgray, I make mine out of old clothing and found remnants - here's a link to our Quilt Register, click on Quilt Tree and it will show you the tree, keep following the links and you can look at the gallery.
http://www.collectionsaustralia.net/nqr/wendy.php

I wash them before giving them to the owners. It's been touched alot - i have cats and there's always cat fur floating around, they like to lay under the quilt...

I agree with KyKaren1949 ... I like my quilt gifts to look new, not something that's already been used. I always include specific washing instructions AND a several Color-Catchers with the gift.

When I made my first quilt in 1992 (that's on the bed in my guest room), the instructor told us to NEVER wash a quilt in a washing machine or put it into a dryer; that we could have them dry cleaned, if it was absolutely necessary. Perhaps she liked them to look new forever. LOL

PS ~ It's been washed and dried, and did not disintegrate.:)

I wash with color catchers then dry low with a dryer sheet. The climate here is dry to begin with and when you turn on the heat it is doubly so. I wish they would invent permanent solution for static electricity.

It's so bad here - tried to thread a needle, and the thread kept weaving around like a cobra. It wanted my shirt, the cat, anything else near by but the eye of the needle.

I don't pre-wash, and I don't wash the quilts when i'm done. unless it was appliqued using glue, etc. try to make them machine washable and driable. and I always tell them to use color catchers to wash the first time.

I wash my quilts now. The first quilt I gave away I didn't wash and my neice was too afraid to wash it so I ended up washing it for her!!!! Then I made one for a friend who is on a liver transplant list and decided I would wash it and so it would be "squeeky clean" for her.. I love the way the quilts looked after I washed them.

No I don't unless something has gotten on it to make it look or smell bad. I have prewashed the fabrics and I like the look of a "just finished" quilt. I think when it's washed it looks used, so I don't do that. I know it will wash fine, so I let the quilt recipients be the first ones to do that.

As nhweaver says: "I am renegade, I do not wash the quilt before gifting, unless I spray baste. With baby quilts, every new time mother washes everything in "her" choice of detergent, so I do not wash them either". Most of what I've made and all that I've gifted are baby quilts and I expected the new mom would wash it even if I washed it too.