What to do about fraying fabric
 

My standard practice is to use a light spray starch on my fabric before cutting. Then as I piece, I trim any loose threads so I don't end up working with a bowl of spaghetti on the back of my quilt. It has worked well in the past.


However, my last quilt was a nightmare of fraying threads. After pressing seams, I would snip any loose threads, but new threads would pop out overnight in the areas I had just snipped. I tried removing the frayed thread weft but that didn't work either.


What recommendations could you give to reduce fraying fabric after you cut your fabric and after you sew your seams?


Thank you so much.

I do not cut exactly on the straight of grain. I also do not mess with any small frays. The more the cut edge is handled, the more it will fray. I always fold a top with the raw edges to the inside. I suppose you could use a pinking rotary blade. I never have, for piecing so I don't know how that would affect measurements.

Apply Fray Check, or similar product, to the fabric edges. I frequently use it when I want to reinforce a clipped spot.i don't remember if it shows when dry or not. Test on a scrap to see how it does.

Fray Check works well, but leaves a hard edge when dry. Applying it to every edge will probably be tedious, but perhaps easier than replacing the pieces that are fraying.

There are several brands available. One that comes in a tube leaves the fabric feeling softer after it has dried.

I've also had this problem lately with a aqua polka dot 108 backing from Missouri Star. It's an absolutely terrible piece of fabric. Unfortunately spray starch didn't help at all. I wrote to them telling them of my disfaction and of course they want a boat load of photo's before deciding on giving me credit or not. The only thing I can think to do is to cut all borders at least an inch larger than I need and then sewing with a much wider seam so it doesn't ravel near the edge. Not the best solution, but it may be better than throwing in the trash.

has it raveled to the point that your seams are weak, or is it just the appearance that bothers you?

if the seams are weak, try June Tailor Fray Block. it's thinner than Fray Block, dries invisible, and does not get hard. I will sometimes use Fabric Fusion fabric glue if I'm really concerned about the seam. a little dab 'l do ya.

Fray Block is the name of the product that I was thinking of!

Unfortunately, it seems to have been discontinued.

I saw a comment "somewhere" about using clear nail polish.


Actually - At this late stage of my quilting journey - if the fabric had such bad manners, I would just put it in the "unusable for me" pile and use something else.

But the original poster is asking how to salvage her project now.

Another option could be to use a lightweight iron-on stabilizer to the back of the finished blocks. While it will make the quilt a bit stiffer it shouldn't be by too much. The challenge with this option is getting those threads to lie nicely before applying the backing or they might show through to the front.

Thanks for your recommendations!
 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. My concern is that the fraying leaves loose threads all over the back of the quilt, some make their way to the front of the quilt where I do more snipping. I have used a light stabilizer before when I thought I needed to reinforce a seam or two....just in case. Worst case scenarios, I've used a dot of fray check, but as mentioned it can leave a "spot" on the quilt if I'm not careful.

It seems my older fabrics in my stash are more reliable than many current top brands I've purchased recently. I guess it's time to stop shopping and start driving more deeply into my stash. = ;o)

Try putting an index card between the seam allowance and main fabric to protect the main fabric before putting the fray check onl the raw edge.

I usually don't have much of an issue with fraying, except for the normal loose threads. I think the more you handle it the more fraying you get. So far there has been only one brand type of fabric that I have had an issue with, so once I use it all, I'll stay away from it.