crashnquilt

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.

k9dancer

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.

Ladyjanedoe

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.

frugalfabrics

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.

kathy

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.

amma

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

maryel

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...

frugalfabrics

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.

mimom

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

MTS

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!