At the LQS where I work and does LA quilting, we tear the wide backing fabric instead of cutting...that insures the whole piece of fabric is on grain before you put it on the frame.
Me too--so much easier to get grain straight. I had a clerk at a Hancock's so me the "best" way to tear wideback (and it makes sense). She would take a snip at the fold and then slowly and carefully tear out both ways so that not pulling the fibers as much (less waste)
