Poorly cut fat quarters
07-20-2010, 05:59 AM
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Spanish Fort, AL
Posts: 498
Yes, FQ's are supposed to be 18"XWOF. I used to work in a quilt store and we finally bought a piece of plexiglass that was the size of a FQ. I know sometimes that fabric isn't rolled evenly on the bolt so you do have to watch for that when you're cutting right off the bolt.
07-20-2010, 06:23 AM
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: A million dollar view!
Posts: 8,830
Originally Posted by PatriceJ
please don't accuse shops of trying to cheat you if their standard practice is to tear fabric instead of cutting.
(1) some people consider tearing to be a more accurate way of getting sections that are on the straight of grain at both ends. it's a more reliable way to ensure you have the same number of usable inches all the way across the WOF. i recently bought a sustantial stack of yardage from a very nice shop. when torn, the fabs looked a bit wonky. once washed, they came out of the dryer so nicely rectangular you'd have thought they were cut by a machine.
(2) in the shop i used in my example, the owner tore generously, which means she added at least one extra inch, just in case, to each piece i bought. i suspect that most shops that tear do the same.
(3) it's faster than cutting. at the Houston Quilt Festival two years ago, one world famous and highly respected shop was selling nearly all their fabs at a deeeeeeeeep discount. naturally, the lines were very long and their booth was very crowded. they tore everything unless a customer specifically asked them not to. i literally bought a suitcase full. not a short cut in the bunch.
cut vs. tear is a personal preference. the choice has nothing at all to do with honesty vs. deception or laziness.
all you have to do is state your preference at the table. too easy.
(1) some people consider tearing to be a more accurate way of getting sections that are on the straight of grain at both ends. it's a more reliable way to ensure you have the same number of usable inches all the way across the WOF. i recently bought a sustantial stack of yardage from a very nice shop. when torn, the fabs looked a bit wonky. once washed, they came out of the dryer so nicely rectangular you'd have thought they were cut by a machine.
(2) in the shop i used in my example, the owner tore generously, which means she added at least one extra inch, just in case, to each piece i bought. i suspect that most shops that tear do the same.
(3) it's faster than cutting. at the Houston Quilt Festival two years ago, one world famous and highly respected shop was selling nearly all their fabs at a deeeeeeeeep discount. naturally, the lines were very long and their booth was very crowded. they tore everything unless a customer specifically asked them not to. i literally bought a suitcase full. not a short cut in the bunch.
cut vs. tear is a personal preference. the choice has nothing at all to do with honesty vs. deception or laziness.
all you have to do is state your preference at the table. too easy.
Reminds me of the saying, "God gave us one brain, one mouth, two eyes, and two ears for a reason".
My Grams used to tell me that all the time.
07-20-2010, 08:37 AM
#35
Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Stafford, TX
Posts: 98
Originally Posted by wvdek
Originally Posted by PatriceJ
please don't accuse shops of trying to cheat you if their standard practice is to tear fabric instead of cutting.
(1) some people consider tearing to be a more accurate way of getting sections that are on the straight of grain at both ends. it's a more reliable way to ensure you have the same number of usable inches all the way across the WOF. i recently bought a sustantial stack of yardage from a very nice shop. when torn, the fabs looked a bit wonky. once washed, they came out of the dryer so nicely rectangular you'd have thought they were cut by a machine.
(2) in the shop i used in my example, the owner tore generously, which means she added at least one extra inch, just in case, to each piece i bought. i suspect that most shops that tear do the same.
(3) it's faster than cutting. at the Houston Quilt Festival two years ago, one world famous and highly respected shop was selling nearly all their fabs at a deeeeeeeeep discount. naturally, the lines were very long and their booth was very crowded. they tore everything unless a customer specifically asked them not to. i literally bought a suitcase full. not a short cut in the bunch.
cut vs. tear is a personal preference. the choice has nothing at all to do with honesty vs. deception or laziness.
all you have to do is state your preference at the table. too easy.
(1) some people consider tearing to be a more accurate way of getting sections that are on the straight of grain at both ends. it's a more reliable way to ensure you have the same number of usable inches all the way across the WOF. i recently bought a sustantial stack of yardage from a very nice shop. when torn, the fabs looked a bit wonky. once washed, they came out of the dryer so nicely rectangular you'd have thought they were cut by a machine.
(2) in the shop i used in my example, the owner tore generously, which means she added at least one extra inch, just in case, to each piece i bought. i suspect that most shops that tear do the same.
(3) it's faster than cutting. at the Houston Quilt Festival two years ago, one world famous and highly respected shop was selling nearly all their fabs at a deeeeeeeeep discount. naturally, the lines were very long and their booth was very crowded. they tore everything unless a customer specifically asked them not to. i literally bought a suitcase full. not a short cut in the bunch.
cut vs. tear is a personal preference. the choice has nothing at all to do with honesty vs. deception or laziness.
all you have to do is state your preference at the table. too easy.
Reminds me of the saying, "God gave us one brain, one mouth, two eyes, and two ears for a reason".
My Grams used to tell me that all the time.
07-20-2010, 09:01 AM
#37
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,183
The only problem that I see with tearing is if the design is "painted" on. My mom and I ran a custom drapery business for years and we pulled threads on our fabrics to cut them out but when it came from a print we drew lines.
I used to work in a fabric store too and it is a tough call when you cut yardage. If you allow a little extra it is a great thing for the customer but an expense for the store. If every customer gets an extra inch can you image how many inches that adds up to for a place like Joann's? Sure the store can eat the expense but then they have to add it on to to their prices to make up for it.
Tough dilemma.
I used to work in a fabric store too and it is a tough call when you cut yardage. If you allow a little extra it is a great thing for the customer but an expense for the store. If every customer gets an extra inch can you image how many inches that adds up to for a place like Joann's? Sure the store can eat the expense but then they have to add it on to to their prices to make up for it.
Tough dilemma.
07-20-2010, 09:05 AM
#38
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,406
An "extra inch" on a several yard piece doesn't add up nearly as quickly as an "extra inch" on several 1/8 yard cuts.
Funny - where else do we expect to get "extra"?
Go to the meat counter - do we expect to get 1.2 pounds for the price of 1.0 pound?
Funny - where else do we expect to get "extra"?
Go to the meat counter - do we expect to get 1.2 pounds for the price of 1.0 pound?
07-20-2010, 03:42 PM
#39
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mapleton, Oregon
Posts: 5,922
Originally Posted by pab58
Originally Posted by littlehud
Everything is shrinking except me. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
07-20-2010, 05:14 PM
#40
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Triangle, NY
Posts: 184
I had this happen...we travel alot...I bought some beautiful fq's at a quilt shop in Florida...when I got to my hotel a couple hundred miles further out I took them out to make a bag...I need exactly 1 fq for the main part of the bag...my fq measured 18 X 22 on one end and 17 X 22 on the other...it was diffently a miss cut by the shop...so I did email them and tell them about it as when I measured the other 5 fq's I bought in the same line only 1 was cut right....do you know they never returned an email of apology or anything....I always mark in my Traveler Companion books about the shops I visit...although it was a nice shop I went back in and marked it as a not to return because of fq incident...I didn't expect anything in return...I just thought she could have taken a minute to apologize....so now when we travel through that area I skip her shop and go to a couple of the others in the same area....sad...blessings
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