Originally Posted by
w1613s
I am basically a garment sewer in transition and the one thing I cannot seem to quit doing is pulling a thread and asking DH to help me straighten. (Convincing him the value and the skills of doing THAT is another story.) (Somewhere are a couple of home ec teachers laughing.) I don't do it on the tiny bits because it is easy to see the straight on those. Now I know my compulsion to pull threads may not be the most generally effective.
Finding the straight-of-grain is important for garment sewing because grainlines affect how the garment drapes on the body. With quilts, this is really not an issue.
What *is* an issue with quilts is accurate cutting and accurate piecing. Starch is a much more efficient tool for ensuring these things than pulling threads (and will not damage fabric edges the way that tearing does).