I never wash my quilts on completion! I wash and starch the fabric before cutting; I keep the pieces covered when not working on them; when the quilt is in one piece, I spread it out on a bed and cover with a clean sheet in between stitching periods; I always wash my hands before stitching! Why would I want to wash it on completion?!! It always looks as good as new and ready for the recipient!

I should add that we don't have any pets; I never have food or drink around; I use a locking stitch at beginning/end of each seam so, hopefully, nothing should ever come undone and, as I don't like the crinkly look, I wash the batting first as well!

Like so many others I have a very furry helper And there are people out there who are allergic to cats and we don't always know the recipients of our quilts.

I made 3 baby quilts and gave them the washer and dryer test to make sure everything was holding fine especially they were my very first quilts....
I bought all my fabric for those quilts from somebody here on this blog. I don't know if it is the fabric or me but on one quilt, ONE color all the seams are falling apart, This was a pinwheel quilt so not easy to repair. Now repairing and fully quilting all the blocks for extra solidity and I hope it will hold the rest of it.
So that is one reason why I will always wash my quilts after they are finished.
Also the chemical the manufacturer put in the fabric, the dragging around while sewing are all reasons for me to wash before giving away :-)...Back to my repairs now :-( grrrrrrrr

I'm glad I read this. I thought I was weird!

MY DOG THREW UP ON MINE! IT SMELLED TERRIBLE, IT WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD FIND

guess I am the different one I always prewash all of my fabric as I do not like working with the chemicals in it also if it is going to shrink or bleed I want to know before all of the work is put into it since I am retired with no smokers or pets in the house it will finish as new and will not need washing just my way

Washed quilts have a different feel--softer, friendlier--I always do mine in the summer, and dry them outdoors in the shade, love the smell of them when dry. Plus I want to remove the markings from the quilting--I am a hand quilter, so there are fine pencil lines all over the quilts. piecefully, the old one

Exactly for all of those reasons plus one more----to get rid of the cat hair.

I have a smoke free pet free home at this time. Pets may come into the home sometime later again. But for now, I pretest for fading then when sure water is clear I wash fabrics in hot water and dry on hottest setting. Figure no one can do worse to it.
I sew it up and give it away. I never considered washing. I thought this way it looks new. If they like crinkly look they can wash.

This is REALLY a dumb question: HOW do you press a quilt after it is completed? Once I pressed the binding after it was done and it seems so flat after that. :oops: