Will Emily Post or the quilt police come after me?
 

I just finished a BOM quilt for a wedding gift. Since it was a BOM, the fabric was not pre washed, because each month I only got small pieces of fabric. Is it okay to give a box of color catchers in with the gift or will 'they' come after me? Have any of you given color catchers with a quilt?

I was the finished project with color catchers before gifting. I don't like to burden the recipient, nor take the risk of not knowing whether or not it will bleed.

I would wash it also and for the same reason.

I would also wash the quilt before giving it away.

Just posted about this in another thread. Let me start by saying that I always wash a quilt prior to gifting. I followed that process with one quilt I had used a (prewashed) fabric for backing. It still ran. Washed numerous times w/color catchers and it still ran. Finally ended up gifting the quilt with a box of color catchers and told them to NEVER wash that quilt without them! Felt horrible having to do that but also didn't want them to freak out after the first wash to find the beige background fabric pale green after a wash.

I would wash the quilt before giving. You can always starch and press it if you like the crisp look. If it bleeds then you will have decisions to make about what to do next. I think a box of color catchers is good gift in itself. Many don't have a clue they exist.

Pre-wash and use color catchers. If they come out white, then it's safe to wash without them in the future. I have made holiday pillowcases for all the young children in our family and have included a box of color catchers in the packages for their mom's to use. It's not shameful to want to preserve something you have made. It would be more shameful to do nothing and have the quilt run and get ruined. Hope you take lots of photos of the quilt and post some on here.

For gift quilts, I always put 1-2 color catchers in a ziplock bag and include it with the quilt. I enclose a note that says to wash the quilt with these the first time to prevent color bleeding. I'm sure that it probably gets pitched, but at least my mind is at ease.

So many reasons to wash before gifting! Most quilt recipients have no clue what happens to a quilt in the wash, no idea that it might "crinkle" or look entirely different when they take it out of the washer. I don't want them to think the quilt is ruined, so I always wash first. Washing also gets rid of any dirt, oils from my hands, chemicals from unwashed fabrics, marks from quilting lines, etc. And lastly, the wash will also expose (hopefully) any areas desperately needing attention...like a pulled seam, loose quilting, or bleeding fabrics....then I can fix before gifting. And I always include a box of color catchers with instructions (just in case).

I would NOT pre-wash a quilt because it will look like it had been USED! Yes, enclose washing instructions with a package of color catchers.