tearing fabric
 

I am just curious how many of you go to quilt stores where they tear your fabic. I went to one the other day and they tore mine. I do not like it. I like the nice straight cut. I have not see this at any other shops. what is your opnion.

Years ago all fabric shops did that before good scissors and the cutting wheel. I do not like it, perfer cutting. I am 77 years old

I like it when it is ripped, as \i can be certain it is on grain.

I've only been to one where they did this. I prefer it cut.

I prefer the ripping because you know you have the straight of grain and much quicker than the pull the thread method. I find that the little bit I lose is more than compensated for when the blocks cut are on the grain they fit together so nicely. They press flat like a drea - match like a dream etc. When it is cut by the store I bring it home wash it and rip one edge to get the cut I want. But in the final analysis it boils down to personal preference -- all quilts look nice when done with either method. My problem is that I am old school, completed my first stitchery in the late forties - and old habits die hard.

I like the cutting edge better. I've never been anywhere where they ripped the fabric is it something new they are doing? Sue

I like it ripped because it is on the grain. with cutting there is often a big distortion fro the top to the bottom as they do not cut straight.

I wish they all ripped instead of cutting! One example of really off grain happened on an extra wide piece for backing...before I ironed it I saw it was a bit off....so ripped..at start of "rip" it was about 1/2",by the time I got to other edge.....almost 6"......then had to have a friend come over and "tug" opposite corners w/me to straighten it out....good thing I bought a bit extra yardage to begin with! When fab is a cut piece and I am going to cut into it for the first time I always "tug" to get those woven threads straightened out...I think the factory bolting has a lot to do with the katywompness of some fab....and the price of fab does not make it immune to this

I prefer cut fabric. I have never had anyone rip mine.

Saves me from getting it on grain, and I don't have a LQS around, so to me it would save fabric.

Heirloom fabric shops tend to rip the fabric because of the grain issues, and heirloom fabrics can cost more than quilt fabrics. I like the rip.

I'm a ripper. I rip my backing for my longarm machine so it is straight. But i don't rip for piecing.

I prefer ripped as well. I have found it worthwhile to sacrifice a bit to ensure a straight grain, especially working on something where pattern accuracy is a must.. you'd be surprised how many times the printing can go awry and sometimes it really matters

I grew up with fabric always being ripped, but with the advent of polyesters, etc. they had to be cut. A well-known designer's shop always sends fabric that's ripped. I discovered that even though it's straight grain, I have to stretch it back to shape because ripping distorts the fabric.

OK, you know it is on "the straight of the grain" when they rip it, but that "straight" is really wonky because of the pulling they did to rip it! I always check my fabrics for even-ness by shifting the selvages until the fabric hangs absolutely straight w/o any diagonal gullies showing.

I don't have trouble with ANY of my fabrics unraveling when I pre-wash (which I always do). I'm wondering, do other quilters put their fabrics into the washer on the "regular" dial? I soak my new fabric in hotest water to check for color fastness as well as take care of any shrinking that might want to occur later. I leave it for awhile, rinse if it ran, and add salt or vinegar to set the color. Then I put it in the washer on gentle (now I have a front loader so it is always basically gentle, but I use the "handwash" (most gentle setting) for this step as well as the final washing before gifting), then into the dryer on regular, but put the dial a little low (shorter time) so there is no chance of over drying (which will make a lot of wrinkles). Then I put any fabric that feels damp at all over my wonderful, huge (grandmother's) drying rack and let it dry that way. I don't have to iron it, or cut the non-existent raveled thread off.

I'm saying all this because it seems a lot of people have trouble with pre-washing and unraveling and it simply is not necessary with the cottons we have today. I didn't even have trouble with Walmart's cottons which I bought when I first started quilting, and they were NOT top quality!

I haven't seen that done since I was a kid, and believe me, that's been a while. I would not like it. It will indeed distort fabric as someone else mentioned.

Yikes. I do not purchase fabric at shops that rip. Ripping damages fabric fibers for a good 2 inches from the tear. Much of this damage is invisible to the eye, but can be seen under a microscope.

Straight-of-grain is very important for garment sewing because it affects the drape of the garment. It is much less important for quilting.

The biggest problem in quilting is distortion from bias edges. For people who do not prewash fabric, there is enough sizing in the fabric to prevent slightly off-grain cuts from affecting piecing. For those who prewash, all they have to do is add starch to the fabric before cutting. Starch stabilizes fabric.

I do not prewash fabric (I do check for colorfastness of suspicious fabrics, and will wash and starch a fabric if necessary to ensure colorfastness) and I do not worry about being completely on-grain with cuts. I heavily starch backing fabrics before layering too. Once moderate quilting is done to a quilt sandwich, the batting takes control of fabric shrinkage so again it matters little if pieces are slightly off-grain.

Many quilters come from a garment sewing background, and I think this is where the unneceesary concern about on-grain comes from. For quilting, it is enough to be reasonably close to on-grain. The only time I might start taking grain into consideration is if I were making a show quilt to win a prize when everything needs to be absolutely perfect.

I went to WAlmart the other week and was about to have the clerk cut me some fabric. I happened to mention to the lady next to me that I need 3 1/2 yds of a certain color. Next thing I knew the clerk was measuring 3 pcs of the same fabric. She was going to tear me 3 pcs of the same fabric. Glad I stopped her.

this is my practice as well.

I am old school and want my pieces on the straight of the grain. As a previous person said, they sew better, press better, etc., etc., and I straighten the fabric so it is on the grain. I think the art of tugging fabric to straighten it is a lost art. I buy extra when they cut it because the fabric is distorted, and then I straighten it before cutting. I think it`s a personal preference.

Some fabric is off grain when you buy it so I just tear it across and everything lines up. I trim the torn edge so it is flat.

Mary Jo's in NC tears the fabric. Each time I've gone there in the past 3 years they have done it. Each time, each piece has been straight and when I prewash it, it seems to ravel less than fabric I prewash from other shops that cut the fabric.
I have more issues with fabric cut crooked. Bless them, they cut like me. I can't cut a straight line without a ruler. I will not even try tearing in a straight line.

I don't have any quilt stores close so it's only joanns they don't tear the fabric but the one girl always cut a few inches then she slides the scissors rest of the cut that annoys me for some reason when she waits on me I remind her please cut straight to the end am I wrong? maybe I'm to picky and I am no expert by any means in quilting

i prefer it torn. it's good for you- you get an accurate amount of fabric, you have the straight grain- and it's good for the store--they are selling every inch instead of having to add extra so you get the 'right' amount end to end. i wanted a 1/4 yd of a fabric i knew i would never use again. i watched the girl cut it and i could tell i wasn't going to have much to work with by the time i straightened it. so i said, let me show you what happens when you straighten the fabric. i ended up with 2" of fabric, straight on the grain, and a handful of dog bed stuffing. of course, i had to pay for the whole 1/4 yd, but it was an eye opener for the clerk!

My LQS rips and I on one hand appreciate having it straight on grain but I bought one quarter yard WOF it was a dark fabric and when it ripped it like pulled the bottom white threads and were visibile in about a half inch from the rip. I did end up needing more and when I went back i asked it to be cut and explained to her what happened.

Yes, it is true to the grain-line, but it also is true that you lose at least a quarter of an inch each end which is NOT so nice. One shop I frequent does that. It is the really old-fashioned way of cutting fabric. I prefer not to have mine ripped.

I refuse to buy fabric that is ripped
and I say SOO if it appears that will happen.

Sometimes they will cut it for you if you tell them you prefer that. I actually prefer the ripping method because I'm assured that the piece will be on-grain. This is especially true with backing fabric for my long-arm, since, if it has been cut, I have to rip it anyway to be sure it is straight and I wind up losing fabric on each end in the straightening process. Often, fabric which has been cut is very off grain. I've started a tear barely past the cut on one side of 104" backing and had it grow to 4 or 5 inches on the other end.

I think it is ok to rip fabric if it is on the length wise grain as it is usually straight. If I rip width wise it rips with the grain, and then if not on the bolt straight, I get an edge which is at an angle. So in the fabric store I prefer a cut.

I always buy at least 1/8 to 1/4 yard extra cut then I bring it home and rip it to get the absolute straight of grain. I would rather lose 1/2 inch (1/4" each end) trimming after being ripped than sometimes about 1/4 yd. when it is cut and most people, even in quilt shops cannot cut a straight line without a ruler. However, in all of my local quilt shops, they do use a ruler when cutting.

I have most always lost more than half an inch of fabric on ANY piece I have purchased when they cut it because it seems like when meeting the salvages after prewashing, there is that 'buckle' in the fold, which usually means it's not even, so end up sometimes losing an INCH and a half. None of our LQS tear the fabric and rather than 'ruffle their feathers' by asking to tear, I most usually buy more fabric than I need anyway (gotta have that stash!). We all have our own ways of doing things to make life interesting.

I do like it ripped. The loss from distortion is minimal compared to some that has been cut so off grain I loose more inches than if they had just ripped it.

I like extra wide backings torn because I know then I will get the yardage I asked for. I have lost as much as 1/4 yard when they cut the but I like to have 45" fabric cut with rotary cutter or even scissors. since we all straighten with a rotary cutter, even when Ii prewash, I don't lose as much fabric. There is only one shop I have been to that tears and when i asked her to please cut the answer was "We don't do that" When I pointed out haw badly the threads along the edge had been pulled and how much I was losing she said I should just by extra fabric to compensate. I never went back to that store.

tearing fabric flips me out. I do not like it----at all. When we were little, I remember mom ripping old shirts and towels for wash rags but I had never seen new fabric torn until I was an adult. If someone tore my fabric that I was buying, I'd turn around and walk away without purchasing anything.

I HATE it!

Nuh uh. Don't rip mine. Cut it please. I know all about straight grain, etc., but want mine cut, thanks!

I prefer to have my material cut. I find that when it is ripped it might be straight on the grain but you lose so much fabric. I also find that Quilt Stores that rip their fabric are very linty and dusty.

luckily no one has torn my fabric yet. better not either!!!

My LQS rips. Most other places cut. I always straighten my fabric after I wash it, so I don't think I have preference one way or the other.