WASHING BEFORE GIFTING
07-29-2011, 02:56 PM
#21
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Elsinore, CA
Posts: 15,243
ckcowl - interesting story, illustrates very well why quilts should be washed before gifting.
I wash my fabric when it comes in the house. No smoke or animal hairs get on the quilts. But I still wash the finished quilt, as soon as the binding is on. One reason - starch! I use it freely during piecing, and it needs to come out of the quilt. Also I don't want the recipient to feel bad if the quilt looks a bit different after the first wash. And in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I left a seam open somewhere, that gives me a chance to fix it.
I wash my fabric when it comes in the house. No smoke or animal hairs get on the quilts. But I still wash the finished quilt, as soon as the binding is on. One reason - starch! I use it freely during piecing, and it needs to come out of the quilt. Also I don't want the recipient to feel bad if the quilt looks a bit different after the first wash. And in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I left a seam open somewhere, that gives me a chance to fix it.
07-30-2011, 04:15 AM
#25
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Glenmoore, PA
Posts: 7,941
I always wash mine before gifting. My family has allergies to many products, so I wash the quilts first with the proper detergent (unscented & perfume free) and tell them the quilt is all ready to be loved, washing before use not necessary. I think this is especially important for baby quilts.
07-30-2011, 04:32 AM
#26
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,229
This is a very interesting thread and one I'll be thinking about. I've only given away raggy quilts and of course, they're washed when completed. The one traditional quilt I made was for my oldest DGS and I didn't wash. Guess I'll check with my DD and see what happened to it, lol.
07-30-2011, 05:23 AM
#27
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sulphur Springs, Tx.
Posts: 878
I have found that if a gifted quilt has not been washed, many people will just store it in a closet so as not to spoil the new look. I make my quilts to be used! I wash before gifting so the quilt will already look a little used and a lot comfy. I also attach a note stating the quilt has been washed to remove any markings,etc.
07-30-2011, 05:23 AM
#28
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,441
I always wash quilts before gifting, except one. It was a memory quilt and I carefully avoided using starch during the making. If there was any special smell to the shirts I didn't want to wash it out. It may be weird, but that's what I did.
07-30-2011, 05:27 AM
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Sulphur Springs, Tx.
Posts: 878
Originally Posted by TonnieLoree
I always wash before giving. Too much fur and threads. I had one male friend who was gifting a baby quilt to his female pal tell me not to wash it. He was afraid of the laundry soap and rashes it might cause. I explained I would rather wash out all of the sizing and chemicals from the fabric and use a mild detergent instead. He thought about it for a few minutes, then decided to let me do it my way.
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