Rag quilts
 

Is it nessaceary to cut at all or can you just wash and get the frayed look?

I've made a rather large quilt and I'm curious...

It just won't curl as nicely.

Without clipping, it will fray, but not very much and just at the edges of the exposed seam. Clipping will allow the exposed seam to fray much more.

Clipping or cutting helps the thread fray away giving the rag quilt it's look. Without this, the quilt will continue to fray over time and you will notice it when you clean up - vaccuming, dusting, or actually washing the quilt, as the quilt continues to shed.

I recently made one for my DH and clipped every seam. Using the spring-loaded scissors helped A LOT.
We have a front-loader washer and I didn't want to mess it up with threads and lint (as there is a ton), so I used a chenille brush and a spritz bottle with water to get the seams ragged. Did that while watching TV. I was amazed at how much came out of the seams that would have been in the washer and could have clogged things up. It was worth the effort.

I second all of the above advice.

I love rag quilts. :) I bought the spring loaded scissors and I clip a bit at a time. I don't sit down to do the whole thing at once. Usually i have the tv on and listen while snipping.
I ran mine through the dryer to help with the fraying and then i took it to a laundromat and used a commercial washer to wash it and it came out fine.

You could always try the John Flynn method.... he tacks the quilt down to a sheet of plywood and gets at it with his weed whacker. ;)

I brought mine to the Laundromat, it made a huge mess but it wasn't at my house.