I'm new to quilting too, started in January of this year. But a friend who has been quilting for years told me to just unfold your fabric, put it in washing machine, use just warm water and your usual laundry detergent but just wash it for a minute, then let it rinse, and put it in the dryer. Then it usually needs to be ironed before cutting. Of course, you will cut off the frayed ends when you square it up. Good luck.