bearisgray

I have been making tote type bags for an organization for people to carry supplies home in.

I think the bags fold up better when they are cut on-grain.

So - I will tear fabric to get it "straight" - when I have "lots" to work with.

but I am also prepared to "sacrifice" at least 1/2 inch on either side of the tear that has been "mutilated' by the tearing. By "sacrificing" - I have about a 1/2 inch seam allowance so the "mutilation" is all in the seam allowance.

I also press the torn ends to try to get them to "unruffle" a bit before proceeding.

Tearing fabric makes me cringe if one is planning to use a 1/4 (or less) inch seam on the torn edge.

Tearing damages the fabric - some fabrics don't seem to suffer as much as others, but some fabrics do not tolerate tearing well at all.