I have made about 35 quilts and have never worried about cutting on the grain, I have encountered some quilters who insist on the "perfect cut" I didn't ask why because I didn't want to sound stupid. What is the purpose of cutting perfectly on the grain and how many others worry about this.

I never worry about it either. I don't even know why some insist that it be cut on the grain.

Cutting on the grain avoids stretching. If I'm needing the fabric for a quilt and can't get it on the straight of grain, I have been known to ignore it. I mostly do scrappy crazy quilt type quilts so I don't pay much attention to the grain either.

By the way, welcome from Louisiana:)

I was at a quilt shop wanting to buy a 2.5" strip which they would not sell under 1/8th of a yard (4.5" pc) and another shopper said that I would be able to get a good pc cut on the grain. Meaning I would pay for 4.5" and only use 2.5" of it but it would be "perfect". Seemed like a waste to me.

thanks, I've been lurking for a few months. Now I'm doomed I guess. I should be straightening up the house so I can take off for the quilt shop. :)

Hahaha, if you're anything like me you ARE doomed :D
If you've had that type of success without worrying about the grain you don't need any advice!! :D

i think it depends on the shape i'm cutting. I just finished piecing a quilt w/ all 60 degree diamonds. Having a couple edges on the straight grain helped the other sides from stretching.

the way I see it, I have taken up a hobby that has history. Women have been making quilts for hundreds of years and I dont think they worried about cutting on the grain 200 years ago so why should I. My family dont care and they are warm at night with one of moms creations.

Let's put it like this. I just made a baby quilt using scraps, some were so small I had to cut off grain to get the size needed. I have been sewing for 60+ years and having straight seams. or in this case, strips, was never a problem. I sure wouldn"t want anyone to look closely at this one!! And I used the starch before I cut too!! My seam allowances were even, but some of the strips had enough off grain to make then pull funny . I'll stick to straight grain!!

I do strive to cut on grain. When the fabric is off grain it can stretch. The stretching really shows up at the quilting stage for a longarmer. There will be "valleys and hills" within the blocks. Also, the fabric will not lay down while being quilted which causes pleats and tucks.

Also, if you have a block with bias cuts in the block, if the sashing is off grain that block can really stretch when on the frame.

Just my opinion.

I find that spray starch solves a lot of the stretching problems. Also, I tend to sew bias seams before cutting when possible. As that is not always possible, I don't worry about it. Bias can also be your friend, so when I do have a bias edge, I make it work for me instead of against me.

So no, I don't worry about the grain line when cutting for quilts.

For 8 years I never cared about grain and did just fine. Then I decided to experiment and cut a border on the grain. I really liked the results. Now I almost always cut borders on the grain. It's kind of wasteful on fabric though.

I've been "going against the grain" for years...I'm sure of it, because I don't waste material just to get the grain right....and don't worry about it. I cut and sew and work in all my flaws and imperfections and have never had a complaint from a quilt recipient.

To each his own...or as I like to say, in quilting there are no rights and wrongs...only preferences.

I have to agree with crashnquilt, when you put a quilt on a frame to quilt it gets stretched in 4 directions at once, if there is a lot of bias cuts, especially on or near the edge, you can't keep it straight and sometimes you will get less than satisfactory quilting.

I prefer to cut on the grain too, less stretching while piecing. Off grain and bias cuts are why I prefer PPing :D:D:D

Never worried about cutting on the grain and I have always been very satisfied with the results of my quilts that I have made, just my opinion...

I have never taken any of my quilts to a long arm quilter, so maybe that's why I haven't noticed the difference. I usually just SID and haven't encountered any problems that I couldn't incorporate into the quilt.

thanks all, I do my own quilting. Maybe that is why I have never had a problem or complaint.

I'll second that ! I like to starch as much as possible, each step of the way. Everything just seems to go together so much easier than when the fabric is flimsy (and I'm not talking about the quality of the piece).

And the quilt feels just wonderful after that first wash!

Call me a rebel don't worry too much unless it's a definate pattern, or way off, sometimes the little stretch helps with matching. But then I don't have a walking foot.
Do watch when sewing clothes.
Welcome and Happy Sewing/Quilting :)

Welcome from Ireland

Borders cut on grain sure quilt easier on my longarm. But I really didn't know why some stretched worst than others. I assumed the quilt was not square. This was enlightening. I use starch, so I pay little attention.

I have found that a quilt stays nice and square and the blocks match up perfect if I square up the fabric before I start to cut. I try to always cut the borders on the up and down of the fabric for the same reason. Then the edges stay nice and straight and no stretch.

Since being given the top of "rip" the fabric to get the grain straight, I do wish fabric shops would do the same, I have always done it, and teach my class the same. I find blocks/squares are truer and the patterns are as well. I don't have much wastage as we love scrappy strip quilting and pp.

I was at a quilt shop wanting to buy a 2.5" strip which they would not sell under 1/8th of a yard (4.5" pc) and another shopper said that I would be able to get a good pc cut on the grain. Meaning I would pay for 4.5" and only use 2.5" of it but it would be "perfect". Seemed like a waste to me.[/quote]


I cannot imagine wanting to buy a 2.5" strip. A 1/4 yd is the frequently the limit of the smallest piece cut. A couple of shops around here have a 1/2 yard limit.

I cannot imagine wanting to buy a 2.5" strip. A 1/4 yd is the frequently the limit of the smallest piece cut. A couple of shops around here have a 1/2 yard limit.[/quote]

I was making a scrap quilt and wanted a lot of variety, kinda making my own jelly roll

I am just finishing a mystery quilt and the final boarders are cut on grain so will be interesting to see if their is a difference. My understanding is that cut on grain keeps the boarder from getting a wave. will see.
welcome from Virginia

Not to take the thread OT but:

Years (and years) ago I was making this quilt. And I was thrilled to find a shop that cut fabrics as small as 3" of a yard . I didn't need a lot of each, but I need a variety of fabrics. So for the cost of 1.25 yards, I got 16 different fabrics, instead of having to buy 16 FQ's of fabric that I really didn't need.

And, mind you, I have a huge stash, but didn't have enough of these colors in the values I wanted. Even today, buying Jelly Rolls isn't quite my thing as I much prefer to choose my own fabrics.

In this case, grain was not a big deal.

Back on-topic:
Keep in mind, though, that if grain is important for the project, you can lose a lot of a small strip getting it straight.

I like against the grain for the look it can create with stripes, gingham or plaids. But then I like the old/antique look of the quilts made from whatever remained of old clothing, etc.
When I finished a quilt my grandmother had pieced, I found the bias-cut 10" squares were a real problem with stretching and I had to redo the border a few times to get the quilt to lie flat. Still, the finished quilt turned out well.
If you are piecing shapes other than squares, there will inevitably bias pieces...you just have to watch your stitching.
So I suggest, go for whatever you like.

I ALWAYS straighten the grain on my fabric before cutting... that is unless the print on the fabric (like a stripe) is way off the grain line and would make the quilt look "caddy-wampus." I think it is very important to keep on-grain for the borders especially. It just make everything lie flatter and quilt easier, either by hand or by machine.

When my mom taught me how to sew, she taught me how to "pull a thread" to get the straight-of-grain line, and then how to pull the corners to square up the fabric.

Fabric that is not "on grain' will stretch, and depending on what pattern you're using and how much handling the pieces, it might be an issue. And if you're fabric had a prominant design like a stripe or plaid, off- grain cutting may make it look messier. Although a lot of primitive quilts have lots of plaids off grain and it adds to their charm.

I so agree with you. the truth definately comes out when you put it on the longarm for quilting

I really think that it depends on the fabric! I have some fabrics that seem "stretchy" and I see it when I first iron it. If I can't iron it flat the same way twice, then that tells me that no matter how I work with this fabric, it's going to stretch! One argument for prewashing and ironing- it shows the character of that fabric (stable, stretchy, unravels easily, etc.) I have some fabric that this character has made me want to switch fabric before I ever cut it.

Other fabrics are more stable, and those it doesn't matter how you cut it. I have no idea if cutting on the grain exactly solves the problem with the fabrics that want to distort, because most of mine lately have triangles and you can't get triangles on the grain on all 3 sides. Starch really does help stabilize those fabrics, and I think that heavily starching those fabrics should help on a frame too!
Cutting on the grain may "help" with fabrics that tend to distort, but in my very limited experience that fabric will be tricky no matter what steps I do to tame it. Cutting on the grain and starching are two things people do to compensate for imperfect fabric.

The more stable the fabric, the less you need to do to tame it to get good results.

To me, this is the argument for floating the top on the mid arm or LA, rather than locking it down which forces that stretch. If you float it, you aren't putting stresses on the fabric. I don't know if you can float the top on a regular frame.

Sometimes if you don't cut with or across the grain, your piece will shrink differently than other pieces in the block and cause a distortion, I've fortunately never had the problem, but that was what I was taught

I only worry about cutting on the grain if I am sewing clothes. It doesn't seem to matter in quilting.

As a dressmaker first and quilter way later, I am a stickler for cutting anything on one of the grains. Especially if it's ever going to be machine washed. Yeah, you may be able to finagle the piecing and even quilting without stretching pieces, but once it gets washed it can twist and distort if off-grain. When I shop for clothes or anything else made of fabric, I always look at the grainlines as a scale of quality. Off grain = poor quality control= reject, in my book. It would drive me nuts to look at a quilt cut all helter-skelter, so I am not going to make one! Whatever little bit I might save in $$ just wouldn't be worth it to me. (Stepping off my soapbox now...)

Here is the long and short of it. Why not do it the correct way to begin with. Cutting a pattern or design and placing it on the correct grain will give you the best quality and good workmanship. That is the difference. If you are satisfied with less, ok for you, different strokes lol. Personally I refuse to fuss and fudge and struggle when cutting it on the straight of grain will do the job for me.

I look at quilting as a precise method of a work and the work must be done to the best of my ability and I take great joy in that as I know you all do. I know you want that quilt to look great, after you have spent hours on it.

Take for instance, making a skirt. You would cut on the lenght of grain so the skirt falls nicely down your body. Cut in on the crossgain and will bubble and wave down your body, and look terrible, same difference with quilting. There is a right way and a wrong way.

For years we have been taught (not me, I am a seamstress lol) to cut accross the grain to save fabric. Well that is so much malarky. Not only is this incorrect and your work suffers for it, but here is the test.

Talk one yard of fabric 44 inches wide, (we will assume that the selvages have been cut off) now, cut accross the grain in two inch strips. You will end up with 18 strips (two into 36), 44 inches long for a square inch total of 792.

Now, take that same yard and cut the strips on the straight of grain. You will get (2 into 44), 22 strips by 36 inches long for a total of 792 sq inches.

There is no saving!! so why do it wrong lol.

Now, blocks with all bias seams on the outside will make a nightmare out of your quilt, at least try to have two side on the straight of grain and put those on the outside if possible. Cut borders on the straight of grain, cut accross the grain and you will have extra to ease in, so why do it?

I know the pioneers couldn't care less, they needed blankets and made the quilts out of old clothing or whatever they could find and made them they way they knew how.

We on the other hand, have so much more knowledge, just like everything else, we have learned the correct way as we are not making quilts out of old clothing anymore or out of necessity, (well most of us). this is our hobby, our creations, our gifts for friends and family, our heirlooms etc, etc, etc, lol. We are paying more than 9.00 per yard and we want our quilt to look it, right?

Having said all that, it is just the teacher coming out of me and I can't help it lol. I try not to let it pain me too much, when I hear a teacher teaching some eager students how to quilt the wrong way, I can't save the world lol.

Hum I dont think our great grandma"s worried about the grain I think they were just greatfull to have fabric.