I do have a pinking blade and that would have been the best thing to do had I know that the fabric would fray so much. I should have mentioned that I have already cut the blocks. For these already cut blocks, the starch sounds like a good idea as well as the stay stitching. I'll probably do both. Fortunately, it's a small quilt. It's the fence rail pattern with the snowballed corners (as seen on MSQC) and should not have been hard, but it has sure been a big learning experience for me. I have learned to check for block size as I go, not after all are sewn. I know gremlins made some of my blocks turn out too small, so then all the blocks had to be trimmed to be smaller. That was fun. I also learned how to ensure a consistent quarter inch seam. Had to do some unsewing there. Tried out 3 presser feet to find the one that really worked best. I could go on about the tiniest little changes that made cutting and piecing go so much better. Thank goodness for those of you who post tips and techniques that you've learned along the way and for the youtube videos. Thanks for your help again. Your suggestions all are workable. I know it's better to work with fabric that doesn't ravel, but sometimes that is just the prettiest choice.