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 Preparing the Fabric
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The following suggestions are quite conservative and cautious.  It seems
safest to list many things that a stitcher might want to be aware of.  You are
then free to use or ignore whatever you choose.

Trim off any selvage edges.

Cut the fabric to size for the project.  Allow an extra 3"-4" on _each_ edge.

Pre-rinse very dark or very red fabrics to make sure the color will not run.
Rinse until the water is clear.

If there are folds, make sure they will come out.  Press and/or rinse the
fabric.

Prepare the edges to keep them from fraying.  Some of the options:
   ~ Use a sewing machine to do a zigzag stitch.
   ~ Use a serger to serge the edges.
   ~ Fold the edge of the cloth over and baste it by hand.
   ~ Do a whipstitch by hand, to overcast the edges.
   ~ Use Fraycheck or masking tape, but then allow another half inch (1/2")
     all the way around so you can cut off the chemically tainted fabric when
     you are through stitching.  Chemicals of any sort may cause deterioration
     years later.