I live with and love my 6 furry critters so I wash all my finished projects including wall hangings and table runners. No surprises on the seams that way, catch all the bleeders plus I can tell the recipient that it's okay to use it cuz it's washable. I did wash a wall hanging once where a seam did come undone so I was able to fix it before gifting it.

I pre-wash my fabric for shrinkage, then I use Quilters Dream Poly batting that doesn't shrink. I don't wash after I finish the quilt (no pets, no smoking in my house) mainly because they are all way too big to go in my washer and dryer. I would have to take them to the laundry mat or dry cleaners.

Same here!

I wash mine before I give them so I can get any chemicals out, anything that might have gotten on it while I was making it, and to make sure I did not miss anything that might need "fixing".

Thanks to everyone for all the responses. So many good reasons to wash when finished. I will start washing my completed quilts.