[QUOTE=quiltingnd;5716045]For those that starch, do you wash your quilt before giving it as a gift?[/QUOTE

Only if it's going to a baby. The quilt is soft enough from handling and I like the smooth look for a gift. I wash baby quilts because I wouldn't want to expose the little one to dog hair, dust and whatever is in the air around here.

I starch at least 3 hours before I start working with whatever fabric I'm going to be using. I spray heavily, let it soak at least 2 hours, then I either air dry it or use the dryer, but I prefer the air dry, but sometimes it's just not doable because I simply don't have room to have fabric lying around. If you just spray and iron, you're just ironing the starch not the fabric, which is why your iron will begin to stick to the fabric and get all brown gunk on the iron, it's starch.

I always wash a gift quilt. It has starch, hand oils, lint, dog and cat fur, whatever else is in the air at my house! I want it to be fresh for the giftee and also want all the scrunchiness to show so that the poor person doesn't think they ruined it the first time they wash it.

I ( like you,) have made probably that many quilts and never have I put starch on any of them and my quilts seem to turn out just fine.