i am one of the new people, however, i mind ya, not just yardage, i rip off the selvages, and rip the top and bottom edges,if they are small i put them in a net bag and wash, rinse, what ever is required, and that is that, bye

jan

Well, thanks, ladies. I guess I'll just go with the flow and let it fray and cut off the tangles later. I do like the idea of pinking the edges so you can always tell if the fabric was washed. Trouble is my pinking shears are hard to open and close.

i fixed my pinking shears with pb blaster (auto dept in wally world), let them sit for a couple of hours and then cut up every rag i could find, the stuff is greasy, and wiped them down really well, it took some time to loosen them up and get all the smelly pb off them, but it worked. and the nasty stuff will help with tools too. (had to hide mine from bob, bf, as he keep thinking it was his, he has his own, lol) but i have also used it to get adhesive off stuff. it will take the finish off paint, so if you have any be careful. silicone spray will also help. (i do upholstery on boats, that is why i have some really wierd things under the cabinet.

happy quilting

jan in palatka

I put my small cuts (1 yd and under) in dollar store lingerie bags and prewash that way. No fraying. My bigger cuts I run off on the serger before washing. Again, no fraying.

I wonder if it would work to lay a line of glue down the edge. Fray check would be too expensive but maybe another household glue that doesn't wash out.

The only thing that's worked for me is serging so I usually just wash the fabric and don't worry about it. If I had 'just enough' fabric then I probably would serge before washing

There are some folks that are adamant about NOT washing their fabrics before cutting and that completely eliminates any fraying.

For the record - I started overcasting/serging the raw edges before washing AFTER I had struggled for years with raveling/frayed ends. Learned to do that from another member of my group. It was a "light bulb" moment for me.

I don't wash my fabric, and many of my friends do not. I was told that if you buy quality fabric, it will be fine. I'm feeling doubtful after reading all of your comments.

When I bring fabric home I always serge the ends and then wash it, then goes in my stash and I know it is ready to use anytime I am ready for it.

Sometimes you can just tell from looking at a fabric that it's got to be washed before using. Other times, I use it unwashed too.