Originally Posted by bearisgray
Originally Posted by np3
Originally Posted by bearisgray
Originally Posted by np3
Just curious, why are you offended when fabric is torn? The tear is on the grain......
I mind because sometimes the fabric is "frazzled" - for lack of a better term - up to an inch on both sides of the tear.
True, it does that when it is pre-washed sometimes too. But don't you find that when you fold your fabric to square the end that you lose up to an inch sometimes? If it is on the bolt "wonky" and they do the perfect cut with the rotary blade, I find I am sometimes short.
1) I usually try to check the grain line on the bolt before buying to see if it seems to be reasonably "on"
1a) If it is off-grain, and I buy it anyway, I buy "extra" to compensate for that.
2) I overcast or serge the raw edges before washing, so I "lose" only the seamed part (maybe 1/8 inch on each end)
3) If it is "off-grain" - technically, I don't "lose" anything - my rectangle just became a parallelogram and the ends aren't perpendicular to the selvages. Sometimes it's been up to three or four inches.
I know these things because:
1) I have on occasion bought or been given fabrics that were seriously off-grain and only usable for rug weaving.
2) I used to just wash the fabrics without overcasting the ends - and sometimes some of the fabrics would unravel up to 3/4 of an inch or more - especially the so-called "better" ones if they had a bit of a bias ends.
3) Sometimes I have "lost" fabric due to shrinkage. I have measured fabrics before and after washing them. Not all of them shrink. Some shrink a lot.
Never thought of serging before I wash. Good idea.
If the grain is off, do you still use it for patterns that call for WOF?