Fraying fabric in the wash, plus project pictures

[heatherlayne-n.livejournal.com]

I've been lurking and commenting for a little while now, but this is my first post. Hello! My name is Heather Layne. I'm a senior English Writing major and I've crafted stuff all my life. I've done DIY things for the house, some scrapbooking, some card-making, and a couple of years ago, knitting ate my soul and I can't stop doing it. ^.^ I recently got into sewing, both by hand (cute little pins and knick-knacks out of felt for my friends and me) and with the machine I just got for Christmas. I've made an apron for myself and a matching one for the doll I've had and loved since I was 4, and some lame armwarmers, but I eventually want to start making my own clothes and other more complicated items. I also dabble now and then in other things that interest me that I see on blogs or in a store or whatever. Some of them may stick, who knows? I'll be sure to post my attempts.

Behind the cut are some of my recent projects.



The apron. Eeeee ric-rac! So vintage-y and adorable, if I do say so myself!



Bernice with her matching apron. (I think she needs a new dress to go with it; the one she's in now is sixteen years old!)



T-shirt from a thrift store (layered over a long-sleeved tee I already had) that I freezer paper stencilled to say "I am sew awesome" with a hand-drawn needle stencil on the side with embroidery floss "thread" through it



Really super easy garter-stitch gauntlets. It took maybe an hour and a half for each one, minus seaming, but I knit through class and was therefore a bit slow. They're just rectangles sewn up the long sides with a gap left for my thumbs.



Hand-knit socks I made for myself. :D There really is nothing like handknit socks in the whole world. ♥ This is about my fifth pair of the same pattern, though I've given all the rest as gifts.

ANYway. I have a total n00b question: when you wash fabric before sewing with it, to pre-shrink it and get the sizing out and all that, how do you keep the edges from fraying all to heck? Or do you just let them fray and who really cares because all you need to do is snip some threads and you lose maybe 1/4" of fabric. Just seeing if there are any snazzy tips I don't yet know! I washed and dried some cotton flannel just now and it had crazy little threads and knots all alonge the edges!

Thank you for reading and looking, and thanks in advance for any suggestions you can give me (if there are any). I am amazed daily by the awesome things I see posted here, and I love reading about everyone's crafty endeavours!

--end stereotypical newbie post--