To wash or not to wash?

I wash gift quilts first. That way I know it is clean. No telling what all the quilt has been through by the time I get it pieced, quilted and bound! Also I am able to tell recipients that it is OK to wash it, see it has already been washed. And I too like the look after it has been washed.

It is your gift to give, do what seems best to you. Mary

Remember that fabrics come from the factory with all kinds of potential allergens, which is why I always wash first, especially if the quilt is going to a baby or child.

Trixie

I always wash my quilts as soon as they are finished.

I wash the fabric before sewing...........I don't wash the quilt before giving. I don't like the washed look....just my preference.

Betty in WI

I always wash my quilts as soon as they are done. Freshens them up, not to mention gets them clean from all the handling etc. I always mention to the recipient it is freshly washed and ready to use.

I wash mine, simply because i have cats who like to test them in progress, and i never know if someone's allergic or not.

I've changed camps. I used to be one of the 'new is so beautiful' quilters. Now, I vote with Mary. I like the look and feel of a washed quilt and I like to assure them that they can use and wash the quilt. Polly

I usually wash my quilts before I give them. If there is a problem I'd rather deal with it. The one blue pinwheel on the vintage blocks I did for my cousin ran like crazy. It was work but was good when I gave it to her. (2 color catchers in the wash and it still ran). I prewash my fabrics and pre shrink my batting so it crinkles a tad but not a lot. I'll take a finished quilt any way you want to give it to me though ; ) Finished is a fine thing. Taria

Polly Esther wrote:

I join the "wash before giving" chorus. On the improbable chance something might go wrong in the first washing, better it happen to you than the recipient.

Phae

I always wash my fabric, as and when I buy it; but I don't wash the finished quilt before giving it. . In message , Trixie writes

without reading the rest of the reply's: wash! why? if anything will go wrong it's best to find out before you give it so that when the recipient washes they don't get a fright if the red runs into the white (for instance)

I always wash it first, since I'm never quite sure it's not going to fall apart until it comes out of the dryer.

I like to wash quilts I give as gifts so that when the recipient washes it, there is no big "surprise" crinkling up of the quilt. If you didn't know that was supposed to happen when washing, you might think you'd ruined it!

I always wash the finished quilt before I present it. I, too, love the look after the first wash. When I remove it from the dryer I put it into a plastic bag right away, so the QI cannot put their (hair) signature on it.

Linda in Tx

I'll add my opinion in here, too. Like so many others, I wash before giving away a quilt. What if a seam decided to ravel? I could fix it, but the recipient might not be able to. I don't like the *really* crinkled look, so -- like Taria -- I preshrink my batting. It still crinkles a little, but that serves to enhance the quilting.

Wash. Then the recipient won't be shocked and horrified when the quilt shrinks and crinkles. Also removes traces of marking chalk, sweaty fingers, or whatever. Roberta in D

"S" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@v61g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...

I almost always wash for several reasons:

-Like you, I love the crinkly look they get after that first wash. Besides, I don't want the recipient to think they ruined the quilt if it gets crinkly after washing when it wasn't that way before.

- I use basting spray on small pieces and I want to wash that out before giving it away.

- I often have markings for my quilting lines that I want to wash out.

- Your hands are naturally a bit oily. I like to wash to get that out before giving, because it will have a tendency to attract dirt.

- I always throw in a "color catcher" the first time I wash a quilt; if it picks up some color, I can recommend to the recipient that they use also use one when they wash the quilt, at least until it no longer shows much color.

- I have been known to use a quilt on my own bed for a little while before giving it; depending on how much I've used it, I'll wash it again. Gotta make sure it works, you know :)

Julia in MN