nanacc

I have a rotary pinking cutter and have started using it when I wash fabric. There might be a little fraying, but I prefer this to any method I have tried. If I need to wash small cuts, I use the lingerie bags or a zippered pillow case. My dryer has a rack to dry without tumbling for delicates...works great for fat quarters and small cuts.

quiltingshorttimer

when using that "pinked" edge rotary cutter--be sure to use your old cutting mat--I really messed up a mat with one of them.

DOTTYMO

Loved reading the numerous ways quilters cope with the same problem.

sophiebernina

For yardage lengths I french seam both ends together. I use a long stitch so it's quick to stich and easy to remove. I find that I don't lose any fabric this way (being in the UK too you know fabric is too expensive to loose any!) and the fabric being in a loop tends to stop it tangling up.

shadoh

I just deal with the mess when washing fabric before using, as some have said.
HOWEVER..
I washed two quilt TOPS this weekend..they had been finished for months and hanging on a quilt rack , 1 1/2 " log cabins. Dusty and odorous I felt....well don't anyone do this....the border didn't fray,it was on straight of grain...but the entire inside, all the little strips, a complete jumble of tangled threads, and some split seams. The effort to repair was overwhelming so I threw them out. Lesson learned the hard way. Each measured 80 x 90 and I did enjoy making them, so no sorrow. P.s. They were scrappy.

cpfrog

I have good luck with small - very small - cuts on the raw ends of the fabric. Each is less than ¼ inch; all the way across, about 6 inches apart. Then machine wash and machine dry. The dryer lint trap catches any threads that result.

Good luck on yours.

corklass44

I accordian fold and pin...no problems.

thread mess

Try filling your bathtub with hot water (as hot as possable) with gentle detergent. Let them soak for a long time and swish or do the grape stomp on them. If you are mixing colors, use a color catcher. It is the aggitation motions that cause the fraying. Drying in the machine will also cause fraying. If you have extremely hot days in the sun - dry your fabrics out side (print side should not be directly in sun)

bbeyes

I pin the edges together with safety pins and that seems to help a lot

Skylark53

I bought a sweater bag and use that. I do have to have smaller loads, but I'm trying for like colors anyways. It's worked pretty well for me. Anything really small I have a dedicated bucket I use just for hand washing fabric.