Originally Posted by
citruscountyquilter
I had totally forgotten about those measuring machines. I remembered ripping fabric and when double knit fabric became popular ripping fabric when you bought it was no longer possible. That must have been when those measuring machines went by the wayside. Funny how a simple question turned into a nostalgia trip for me and others.
I rip for backings as it's just so much easier and faster and in the end I'm going to trim off the ripped edge when I bind my quilt. Other than that I don't do much ripping. I figure using the selvedge to measure is true enough grain for me.
I remember that in high school we had to stretch the fabric on the bias to get it to lay straight after pulling the thread across the WOF. Now I've heard that it isn't as necessary to have that end exactly straight grain as long as the folded edge is square. Soooo, I'm older than dirt, too.