Washing a Quilt

[Wendy P.]

Do you wash a quilt before giving as a gift? If so how?

[Geneva C.]

It depends on the quilt. Art quilts or quilts that hang on the wall, no I don't wash them. Quilts that will be used, yes, I wash them. I don't usually wash bed quilts as they are so big.

I wash quilts in my washer with Orvis, a horse soap. Then dry them on medium heat. They come out all wrinkly and puffy and cozy.

geneva

[Nancy R.]

I don't generally wash my quilts before giving them as gifts. I don't because I love the feel of a brand new quilt, and that feel goes away with washings, so I want the recipient to keep that feeling as long as possible, too. One exception is that I wash my niece's quilts before giving them to her because she is highly allergic to animals and I have two cats and a dog. I'm not as gentle as Geneva. I wash them using my regular laundry soap on warm and dry them in the dryer, also on warm. I do prewash all of my fabrics as soon as I bring them into the house, so I don't worry so much about fabrics running or shrinking in the final quilts.

I think this is another place where you can do whatever feels best to you.

[Judith A.]

Thank you, Lotti, for sharing your technique here. Excellent ideas!

Judith