I had quilt, so I need to wash it to get all the hand oils out of it along with the quilt markings

I always wash for many of the reasons stated here. Dog hair; starch; hand oils. I also hand quilt so I want to wash out the marking lines and just general dust and dirt that accumulate in the time it takes me to quilt it along with it dragging on the floor in that process. Plus, I too, like the crinkled look. Even though I prewash my fabric, I have found previously a fabric continued to bleed after I washed that darn quilt about 10 times. Finally gifted it with a box of color catchers and told the recipients to ALWAYS wash that quilt with those!

I always wash, for all the reasons stated by everyone else. But also, once, I was trying a new batting and I washed a quilt it came out really really wrinkled. Low and behold, the batting was supposed to be prewashed to size it. I gave the quilt anyway and told the recipient, I was trying a new batting if you would like a flatter quilt, I can make another one. She loved it. But I know if she had washed it, she would have thought it was ruined.

Well I guess I am a renegade......I do not wash my fab before piecing, do not use starch at all ever, either hand quilt or machine quilt-do not wash after completed...whether mine or as a gift........if before I cut into a fab at the beginning I suspect bleeding, I cut a small chunk and put it into a cup of HOT water, if it bleeds--I replace it. If I gift the quilt I will instruct to wash in cool water, on gentle and gentle dry....and a quilt need not be washed weekly---unless an accident.....my own get fluffed and refreshed weekly in dryer, and washed only once a year. I don't need to wash to make sure my seams are "holding" at the beginning, because I know they are sewed right. I have L/A a few where I have had to re-sew some seams - I relate that info to client---that I think makes me very conscious of my own piecing!

I wash--when I press, parts tend to drag on the floor.

I always wash for these reasons:

I want to see what "my baby" looks like when it's done, and how it will look for years to come, before I give it away.

I love the soft, crinkly texture of a washed quilt.

Washing hides a LOT of imperfections! I recently made a wall hanging that was in a guild challenge. I finished it at 2 am the night before the competition. There were several areas in the quilting that I was unhappy with, but because it was so late I gave up and called it a night. I washed it lightly to get my quilting lines out, then dried it. It came out beautiful and I could not find those quilting imperfections. :D

p.s. I won the challenge!

I agree with Geri B. I don't prewash fabric or wash my quilts when I'm done.

I wash quilts after I've made them because I feel they are dirty after being handled, dropped on the floor, covered with dust if they have sat for a few weeks, been dragged around while being hand quilted, etc., etc.
Plus that old-fashioned softness factor....yum!

Jan in VA

I wash mine too, pretty much for the same reasons as everybody else. I think it helps when I give it away if I can tell people, "this is machine washable; it's already been tested!"

Plus that way I get to be the first person to snuggle with it when it's fresh out of the dryer and all warm and cozy!

I never used to wash my quilts, until I found that my "giftees" weren't washing them because they were afraid they'd ruin them! I have one friend that's had her quilt for years, and was terrified to wash it. I told her to throw the dang thing in the washing machine - I made it to withstand water. Now wash them all before giving them to people, and let them know it's already had its first bath!