One reason why I hardly ever buy Fat quarters. Either they are not cut quite the right size or.... I decide I like the fabric and now I don't have any left for anything else. Many of the FQ patterns can be cut from yardage. I prefer buying yardage for many reasons, but will occasionally buy a FQ.

Frankly, I hate pre-cuts and kits. I don't ever buy pre-cuts and buy very few kits. I guess I'm old fashioned!

Fabric does need to be cut on grain in a quilting project. It does matter when the patches are off grain. When you wash the quilt, they do pull back into their natural state. You can starch them to make them behave when you are making the squares but they do go back to natural when washed. Ann, yes, quilting will hold them down but if you look carefully you will see that they still pull back to their natural grain position. Does it matter? Only if it matters to you. Everyone seeks their own comfort level on this question. I buy yardage to avoid the miscuts that so often come with precuts.

Another reason that I don't buy pre-cuts of ANY kind. The grainline is easy to figure out though.

I am so glad someone brought this subject up. I had such trouble with how the fat quarters I bought several years ago were cut that gave up and I just made it a rule to never buy them again. No selvedges, cut wonky so that when you try to even them up you lose inches, serious unraveling when I pre-washed them.......to me just not worth it. Now that I know others have found similar problems I at least feel better about my decision. Thanks...... Annie Pearl!!

I don't use them for that reason.. buy 1/4th yard cuts, you will be happier.. and the quality is not there either.

My first quilt teacher taught me to pull the fabric sharply. If it makes a "thwack" sound, it on the straight grain of the fabric. If it makes a "thud" sound, it on the cross grain. Works every time.

I love your description of the five year old cutter ... got a wonderful visual image! Anyway, if I am buying for a specific project I generally buy 2 if the pattern says 1 will suffice. I will also open up fat quarters at new stores (new to me) or at quilt shows and check them before I purchase them. I had one vendor tell me I couldn't do that because it messed them up. I said ok and left the stack of 20 that I had selected. I think she got upset when I had already found several that were poorly cut and other customers were noticing. Oh, well,....

I am probably in the minority, but I seldom buy fat quarters, I'd rather just buy 1/2 yard and then I'm absolutely sure that I will have enough for that particular project, and any extra goes into my scrap basket.

I am happy when my FQs don't have selvedges, that means a little more fabric to use and not have to trim away! I, too, am not concerned if my fabric is a little off grain when I am cutting a piece or two. Perhaps being a scrapper is partly why. Sometimes you just have to get that bit where you can. I do NOT do anything to distort the grain, tho, I just use it as is, so there is no reason for it to "change" when it gets washed.
The only time I am concerned about having the fabric grain is when folding and cutting the strips for borders, binding, strip piecing, etc.