Originally Posted by oldhag
Ok, am I the only one who pulls a thread about 1/2 inch from the end and cuts along that gap? I was taught that way back in the time machine and I still do it. It is less damaging than tearing. Time consuming yes but then I usually do it while I'm watching TV.
I think that's a great method for cutting long border strips. It's unnecessary for the way I piece, as my accuracy is pretty good just using unwashed fabric. Even if I pre-washed fabric, I would prefer to starch it using my fast method over fiddling to get an exact grainline. I like to use tv time for preparing appliques (freezer paper method). Home ec class way-back-when did teach the pulling-thread method to get a straight grain for clothing construction, but I haven't made clothing in ...ummmm... years......