thank you all for your replies, I am as perplexed as ever. All of my fabric comes from LQS' so the quality is not the problem. I never buy from Joann's since I find that most of their fabric is very thin and not good quality. I used to have a lot of trouble with the Moda Bellas and I wrote to the company. They told me that the manufacturing process they use to make the fabric feel smooth sometimes causes the fraying. I have a dedicated sewing room so handling the blocks is not an issue.