Barb in Louisiana

I totally agree with Jan. Quilting is about small pieces of fabric. There is no need to make sure the fabric is straight with the grain. For those that don't know, this means you have a good 45 degree angle between the selvedge and the ripped edge. (Edited to add) I do cut most of my borders, especially if they are more than 3 inches wide, on the straight grain of fabric which means with the selvedge edge. Width of fabric will almost always give me a wavy border, no matter how much I measure and pin to keep it even.

Now, if I were making a dress and it had to hang straight, then I would consider ripping the fabric, if it was woven, to make sure the grain is straight. All it does for quilting is to damage part of the fabric. And...guess what??? Almost none of the fabric is straight these days. But, then you get the pleasure of stretching it into shape. I remember those days. I loved it when knit came along and no more stretching was needed. And it is so much more comfy...especially to those of us with our figures moving around.