Has anyone else had trouble with Kona cottons fraying like crazy on the back side of a quilt top? I am in the process of making my quilt sandwich but keep having to stop to trim thousands of frayed threads from the back that are showing through to the front. I am really frustrated!! Yes, I starched both my fabric and my sewn blocks as I worked.

I am making an entire quilt from nothing but Kona solids (from City Quilts). It's fun and colorful, but not sure I would do another one with all these issues with fraying!

I have noticed a lot of fraying. I just bought a Moda Bella solids color card and may try that brand for a while.

I used a Kona cotton gold that frayed. I think I don't really like the fabric.

Welcome to the board from Southern California!!!!

I'm having trouble if I don't cut them exactly on grain. Those little threads cut off grain escape easily.

STARCH! the more you use the less fabric frays. I have two quilt tops drapped over the chair right now and the one has one little stray thread the other has NONE! I use to have ALOT of trouble with fraying. Now that I use the crap outta some starch (2 cans on six yards tonight) I don't have that problem. Its like glue and it holds the fabric together.
Good luck and welcome to the board!

This! I use Kona black a lot and prewash then iron with starch (maybe not two cans but a generous amount! :mrgreen: ) and I don't have any more trouble with it than any other brand. I love it because the black is so deep and true. :-D

I pre-wash & use sizing on my Kona, too. I do like it because it retains the black dye.

It has proven for me to be a quality fabric, it is readily accessible and endurable.

The Kona that I use has a good hand, it also comes in a variety of colors and it is a real nice solid blender with other parts of my stash. :-)

If they fray so badly why doesn't everyone complain to the company by email maybe they would do something about it.

I've used very few Kona solids and find the seem to fray also. I am now looking at the Moda Bella solids and at Michael Millers. Kona has always felt a bit stiff to me but it hasn't been a major problem since I prefer the blender type look rather than a solid.

Kona frays if not on grain, but does retain it's color, be careful to establish the grain & you should have no problem.
I don' t use kona in applique, because of the fraying.

next time make your cuts with pinking shears or you can buy a (pinking-rotory blade) that's what i used when using fabrics that fray alot...usually flannels but some cottons too. really helps

by "retains its color" does that mean it doesn't bleed?

When I say that, I mean that it doesn't fade. A lot of blacks do when exposed to any kind of light, not only direct sun, and end up more of a charcoal or even a dark brown, depending on the dye mix used. Kona, in my experience, stays a true, midnight black both on the bolt, on an open shelf in my studio and in a quilt - I have a couple hanging here on the walls with Kona in them, one has been up for over a year and the other about 7 months, both have been in the washing machine at least once, and both are as black as the day they were made. :-D