I always get some fraying and thread boogers, which I HATE. Recently washed a set of Moda Civil War repro fabrics that had a lovely hand before washing. Not a speck on my color catcher, so it was a waste of time, and I spent an hour cutting the thread tangles iff before drying. I still have to iron them. Back to NOT prewashing for me!

zig-zag ends with the longest stitch you have

i totally agree with that. I bought several yards of LQS fabric to make curtains with. I wanted to do everything right so I washed and what a mess. I think it took me longer to trim the loose threads and iron the wadded up stuff then it did to make the curtains! :?

Get pinking shears and trim each cut edge before washing. This will also help identify washed fabric in your stash from un-washed. I always wash fabric before it goes in my stash. This also indicates wether I want to use the fabric or not, if it doesn't wash well enough, I save it for projects that don't need the best.

I zig zag or serge the cut edges. I don't like the mess of the strings in the washer or dryer.

If you wash you fabric when it comes to your house...doesnt that remove the insecticides that keep bugs from eathing on it? I have a lot of fabric and I have kinda worried about that...........

For smaller pieces - up to a couple of yards, I put in mesh bag to wash. There is very little ravelling.

I haven't tried this but yet but I've heard of people using a zig-zag blade on their rotary cutter.

I serge the raw edges of my fabric before washing. Sure solves my problems.

There's insecticide on new fabrics?!? If this is true, do you really want to be handling it while you make a quilt? I wash everything I bring in the house. Most of the time I serge but sometimes I'm in too big of a hurry and then I pull off threads before putting in dryer and then there's not too much when it comes out of the dryer. If I don't pull off threads and fluff a little coming out of the washing machine it's a terrible mess coming out of dryer.