How much will a quilt "shrink" up when it is quilted?

Question:I am trying to determine the finished size of a quilt. The top and backing are going to the quilter soon.

Answers:
There's no hard and fast rule. It depends on how closely it is quilted. The more stitches, the more it will shrink. A large meander or cross hatching won't cause as much shrinkage as a dense pattern (lots of feathers, small stippling, etc). Count on a couple of inches loss, but for exactly dimensions you'll just have to wait until it's finished.

Don't forget, if you didn't pre-wash your batting and fabric before making the quilt, it will shrink in the wash, too.