Originally Posted by
Cari-in-Oly
I don't like to rip fabric, call me weird. For piecing a backing, I just fold it in half and cut it with scissors on the fold line. Since it will be sewn on the selvedge edge, it doesn't matter if the cut is perfectly straight.
Cari
I do this too. I fold the length (in your case 4 yds) in half so it is now 2 yds. long, and cut on the fold you just created. Open up and sew the selvages together along one side.