Originally Posted by Phyllis Trotter
We have a question. Does it make any difference if you teat material?Or should it be cut?
tearing is an easy way to test the quality and weave of fabric. really good fabric has a nice, even weave. it goes onto the bolts evenly and comes off the same way. if you tear fabric (snip just through the selvage then let 'er rip to the other side) then lay it back in place, selvage to selvage, it should line up evenly along both the selvages and the torn width at the same time. if it doesn't, you have to choose whether to align your cuts with the straight of grain (where it tears) or to just fold it flat, ignore the weave, cut a straight line across the bottom with a rotary and ruler, and go from there.
tearing is also a good way to test how badly the fabric will fray, how strong it is, and whether it's cotton, a blend, or pure polyester. (it's usually really difficult to tear polyester and blends. if they will tear, you'll often see serious distortion and rippling along the tear line.)
if you want to tear as a test or just to save time, i'd recommend you buy at least 1/4 yd more than you need, just in case it doesn't have a nice even weave. you could have two or three inches at one end of the torn strip (sometimes more), and 1/2" at the other. you could "waste" several inches of your puchase finding the straight of grain.
whether or not to tear is like many other things in quilting ... it's a personal choice. neither right nor wrong. personally, i often tear off at least one strip just to find out what i'm working with. fewer unpleasant surprises later. (no matter what they say, price is no indicator of quality. the only thing price tells you is what customers are willing to pay.)