Quilters: How to STOP Fabric from Fraying!

[@MarthaEast]

Before prewashing fabric, I run it through the serger. Thank you for this good information.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks for watching and for your comment!

[@brendasweeney2806]

I do too

[@manuelashannon1369]

I will try that! I’m a prewasher. And I have a great Juki serger.

[@cherylsmith3002]

Wow! This is one of the most informative videos I've watched recently. Fraying is one of the most frustrating issues! Thank you. I'm going to put these suggestions to work on my next project.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're so welcome Cheryl! Thanks for watching!

[@lj1827]

Thank you Mary for another great video! I'm a sponge trying to soak everything up to learn to quilt!

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're so welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@EAWit8852]

Me too and I’ve been ‘quilting’ for years!

[@pamelaarbour3368]

Good tips for beginners and great for seasoned quilters. These were good reminders! Thank you.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@jess4mathews]

Thank you so much for sharing Mary❤ wisdom is always a terrific gift. I found a beautiful fabric yet once I gave it a wash & dry (as i always do) and a good home 😂 it started to fray quite a bit😢 apparently it falls under that 'homespun' heading you mentioned... im going to go ahead and use it to make a couple placemats or a 'lap size quilt to see if it can hold up to the rigors of a full sized quilt - I will try that setting spray ❤🎉

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're welcome! Hope it helps! Thanks for watching!

[@carolmeakins3578]

Thank you Mary for your useful tips. I will try and be more careful in future x

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're so welcome! Thanks for watching Carol!

[@deewinston5651]

Thank you Mary. Great tips. ❤

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You are so welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@oksanagrof7571]

Wow, great explanation , I am so happy about the tips , especially about fry checking the seam area Or using the tape. You are absolutely awesome.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thank you so very much! And thanks for watching!

[@debjacobson9800]

Great tips. Thanks Mary🧵🪡✂️

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@denisewibbeler2116]

Great reminders and a new thought for using fray check.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks for watching!

[@cat267]

Thank you soooo much

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're so welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@Persida_]

Great information!

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful!!!

[@marysuedavis7024]

Love the fray check idea

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks for watching Mary Sue!

[@Auntie7024]

Excellent tips, Mary! I came across some of these issues in my last project. I always ask myself, how would Mary deal with this issue? The answer is generally changing the blade, using pressing spray before you cut, and don't tug on the fabric. Your tips are always very helpful. Have a wonderful day. ❤😊

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thank you so much for your kind words, for watching and for commenting! Have a GREAT day!

[@marshawallace7522]

Thanks for sharing this important information❣️

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@michele6708]

Regarding trimming your quilt top-wait until right before you baste and quilt or send to longarmer or you will likely end up doing it again! I don’t always prewash, I usually just wet with starch but if I do want to prewash, I fold the pieces in half, cut edge to cut edge and sew the edges together with a 1/8” straight stitch seam. This means I stabilize two edges with one seam, and keep lengths from twisting around each other as much in the machine which causes even more fraying. Then when the fabric comes out of the dryer, I smooth it flat and trim off the seam. This is the most efficient way I have found to prewash. No fraying to deal with as any edge fraying is trimmed away with the stitching, the amount of fabric lost to the process is minimal, and it takes far less time than pinking with shears, serging all edges, etc. I haven’t tried it with widebacks yet, but will do so this week.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Lots of valuable info. Thank you!!! I pink the edges with a pinking blade. It is inserted in a rotary cutter. Just one cut along the edges and also the fraying is very minimal. Thanks again for your insight and for watching!

[@michele6708]

@@joyfulandmerryquilting I had trouble finding a pinking blade when I looked. I could only find the wavy version, so I ended up sewing the edge. I’ll look again!

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

They're available on Amazon.

[@JudyCain-k3j]

What a help!

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks for commenting!!!

[@meacadwell]

I made a large mesh zippered bag, like a lingerie bag, and put my fabric in it before washing. This cut down on the fraying tremendously! I always wash my fabric because if the warehouse where they stored it was sprayed for pests, I don't want to be touching that bug spray. But if they didn't spray for pests I could be bringing in insect eggs that could infest all my other fabric. That and I sew garments and don't want to have to mark fabric 'washed' or 'unwashed' - it's all washed and shrunk and ready to go.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

There are many opinions on pre-washing. Thanks for your input and thanks for watching!

[@nancy9478]

I sew too and always wash. Running a line of stiches on the cut edges helps too, I use my serger. I don't like all the chemicals in fabrics, washing cuts that down and preshrinks it. Perfect!

[@manuelashannon1369]

I love the put in a mesh bag. I will try.

[@cindydevling5350]

I recognize that 🍕!!! Good tips

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@annroberson8890]

I always have a ton of fraying. Tried heavily starching per Kimberly Jolly and even that was not successful for me. Thanks for your video.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

I think TLC is probably the best advice I can give. Some fabric just keeps fraying no matter what we do, and the less we touch and tug on it, the better. Thank you for the comment and for watching!

[@karenr.sternberg1920]

If you prewash, just cut out a small triangular piece at one of the corners, (like a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch). It'll then wash & dry w/MUCH LESS FRAYING, I PROMISE THIS WORKS.

[@debdietz833]

Do you soak or just spritz the pressing solution?

[@gwenrowe2721]

Mary, so we have apiece of material. 42”w x 36”l. Is this when we should press the material?

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Hi Gwen!!! So great to hear from you!!! I hope you're doing better and that you're back home??? If it's a really large piece of fabric and I only need a small portion of it, I cut off a little more than I need and press it with the pressing solution. If I am going to cut and use most of the piece, I will press the entire piece with pressing solution and then cut.

[@gwenrowe2721]

Mary thank you for the tips. If I have already cut my pieces will it help if I use the starch products you mentioned?

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

I wouldn't spray them if the pieces are already cut unless you have cut them "oversized". Spraying the cut pieces could cause distortion or shrinkage when pressing. You can always press your block with pressing solution when you're finished, however this technique really works best if you spray before cutting.

[@tinamcelyea5972]

Do you sharpen your rotary blades or just replace them?

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

I tried sharpening them (actually I did a video on sharpening blades) but it was a lot of work. I felt it was worth the investment just to replace the blade. Here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHyblHitZraMqrM

[@tinamcelyea5972]

@joyfulandmerryquilting lol, I just watched the video, and apparently, I never read the directions on sharpening them with water. But it makes sense because anytime you use a sharpening stone, you would use water. I've sharpened my blades many times, but I thought I did something wrong because they didn't stay sharpened. I barely got any cuts out of them before the rotary blade was dull again. I agree it is worth buying another blade.

[@florencemcowen5526]

Quick question. When using pins, if you're having a tough time putting a pin in the fabric (whether it's a safety pin for sandwiching or straight pin for piecing) does this mean that the pin is bad? Or the fabric is tough?? TIA

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

I find that if I use a thin pin (Magic pins, Clover Fine) for regular piecing they slide through like butter. If I use the traditional yellow head or flower pins - they are much thicker and they just can't easily penetrate the fabric which is why you're having a tough time pushing them through. This can cause distortion at the intersections and points because the fabric shifts as you force the pin through. Here are a couple of links to the pins that I use: Clover Patchwork Pins (fine) amzn.to/3QcW91P Magic Flathead Pins amzn.to/3FCHBU5 In addition, for sandwiching, the thinner the pin, the easier it is to use. The large pins can tear the fabric fibers and leave holes, plus they are a BEAST to push through the 3 layers. I found that the curved 1.5" safety pins work the best for me - although it's still can be a bit of a struggle to push them through the 3 layers. I hope that helps!

[@chickad5820]

I wear an apron and use a safety pin to pin it to my shirt so the weight of it doesn't bother my neck. I have MS so it makes a difference. This also keeps me from wearing and embedding all those threads into my clothes....

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks so much for sharing and for watching!

[@bethroundell8424]

If you make a diagonal snip of the 4 corners of yardage.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thanks for the tip and thanks for watching!

[@marinaabad4995]

Not arguing the prewash controversy, but I prewash all my fabric in hot water, no detergent, color catcher and hot dryer. That will take care of any colorfastness problems and shrink up the fabric if it needs it. Shrunk fabric does not fray much. It's interesting that some quilt quality cotton from some brands, fray a lot, and others, not a thread out of place. Ruby Star Society is a non fray type. It's screen printed in Japan. I did a cursory research of the brands, but let's face it, almost all our textiles are woven in China, India, Japan, and South Korea, then finished in those countries or elsewhere. If fabric is manufactured elsewhere like Europe, it's usually linen or wool.

[@joyfulandmerryquilting]

Thank you for that insight! It's always difficult when we find a fabric that we love, and struggle with the fraying. Your suggestions are on point. Thank you!