Another thread on the forum has me wondering how most people prefer their backing fabric purchases to be handled.
We cut - not tear - our fabrics.
But... if a fabric is wrapped crookedly on the bolt, that creates a problem. And backing fabrics are folded not once, but twice, which magnifies any wrapping issues.
We once carried the inexpensive backing fabrics, and those were wrapped so crookedly that we swore we would NEVER carry them again. We would had to give an extra FOOT on every cut, to be sure that the customer was not going to come up short. (And yes, we actually did give the extra foot, for free.) And I'm very glad that those backings are all gone now. Good riddance!
Every shop does need to have some backings, though, and we chose to try again with a nice group from Wilmington.
http://www.favoritefabric.com/cgi/co...t_backing.html
I did a test-tear on one of the bolts to check the grain, and it is still off, though not by as much.
So I'm putting it out to the forum, to ask what would you prefer? That we tear the fabric, giving an extra 3" on the cut to allow for the warped and wavy edges... or that we cut the fabric, giving an extra 6" to allow for the crooked wrap?
Please don't base your answer on "Gee, do I want 3 inches for free or 6 inches for free?" ... that's not the point. The question at the heart of this is, in order to receive the amount of fabric that you need and are paying for, straight and not warped, are you happier/more comfortable with tearing, or cutting, given that this is a backing fabric?
I know I can always count on the Quilting Board members for thoughful answers... so please let me know what your opinion is.