Originally Posted by ckcowl
make the quilt first- then wash it.
if you try to clean the blocks before the quilt the edges will fray- the blocks may shrink- they may become un-usable- make the quilt- when it is all done= quilted and bound- wash it- pre-treating the stains in necessary- if it is for a child you want it to hold up and be washable- so when it is done treat it as if it is to be used, washed and dried.
The one thing that my mom did before she started was to zig zag the edges. This will help in that it should not fray that much.