When I worked in a fabric shop that tore we always gave an extra few inches usually two or three But when we cut we were told to cut exact and I notice many times that when I get my fabric home I am short a couple of inches on one end now at shops where they cut I prefer tearing but if you want it cut tell them they probably would love to do it for you

I prefer having my fabric torn because then I know it is straight of grain. Very little fabric is lost in trimming off the torn area. That said, almost all stores I visit cut cloth with a rotary cutter.

I prefer to have it ripped myself. Although it looks shabby its a very small thing to straighten and it instantly shows the grain of the fabric. I loose no more fabric straightening up that raggy edge than I do finding the straight of grain myself. Some material can really be off and its frustrating to get a yard of fabric and loose several inches to it being so wonky. Do you fold your fabric selvage to selvage or with your fold hanging straight and smooth?

Back in the old days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and our fabric was measured in little 'speedometers' mounted on the tables, all fabric was torn. It indeed is a straighter 'cut,' and if you have really cheap fabric, you can't do it, because really cheap fabric may not be on the bolt straight. Also, some blended or poly fabrics may not tear right, so I'd be glad for a store to tear my fabric.

One of the LQSs here does, the other ones all cut. I guess I would rather mine be cut too.

i prefer it cut also , sometimes it distorts the fabric design and to me waste to much , personal perference

I prefer tearing over cutting. Put a hot steam iron on the edge and it will crimp it back. Also I trim a tiny bit off. I find I loose way more when people cut, several inches on each side.

It is very easy to straighten distorted torn fabric. Hold it up and you will see it is a trapezoid. Get a grip on both short ends and give it a good tug along the bias. It will now be a true rectangle. The fabric is distorted due to the processes at the factory, so if you get a cut your grain is always off just a bit. If you fold your fabric selvage to selvage and then once more you will have a bit of of fabric nonaligned along the cut ends when you get it to lay flat, that is due to being cut off grain.

I've never heard of a quilt shop tearing fabric. But, I tear myself if I want to find a straight edge or am removing a smaller piece of fabric from a large piece. Its so easy, fast and straight to work from. Remember, you can only tear with cotton.

Where I live, here in Ohio, I frequent the Amish fabric shops. Most of them do "cut" their fabric but there is one that "rips". I went there once because I was able to find fabric there that I couldn't locate any where else; plus the price was better. Well never again! The girl measured correctly, but then proceded to rip it way off. I couldn't wait to get it home and remeasured and sure enough it was off, just enough, that I couldn't use it for what I wanted it for! If I go back to that store, I will definitely speak up and have them "cut" the fabric not "rip"!

Our local quilt shop also tears. However, I ask them to cut it and they wilingly do so. I tell them it hurts my heart to see the fabric torn!

Our LQS always makes sure the selvages meet and they straighten the length out to be sure their cuts are accurate. I always come home with a straight cut edge and its ready to begin making strips or whatever. This is the only shop I have ever been in that goes through that much bother to make sure their cuts are straight.
I think this is why there are always customers in the shop, they know they are being treated the way the owners want to be treated.
I don't tear, but know some people who do.

I still think tearing is the way to MAKE sure that the GRAIN of the fabric is straight. There is a lot to be said for straight grain especially when quilting. ALSO, when you cut across the width of the fabric, you are already making the fabric less stable, SO if you want the fabric on the straight grain and do not want to tear you can always pull a thread and cut, HOWEVER if the fabric store cut it off grain as most of the stuff is these days, I hope you will include an extra 4 to 5 inches, because you can lose that much if you figure out that both ends are off grain.:)

If mine hasn't been torn, I tear the edge to make sure I'm starting off square with the grain of the fabric.

If the fabrics is distorted , than get some one to help you to pull the fabric cross-wise if you have a lone price. By puling it cross-wise the fabric well straighten.

I have had some awful cuts from fabric shops even when they use a guide.I think it is a let down,Iam a newbee and need all the help I can get

What I don't like when fabric is cut, is that when ever there is a new gadget they seem to try it out in the store, and that is when I get such un-even cuts...like the new thumb suction cup thing to hold your ruler straight...blaaaa never seen a person use it where it doesn't move...walking the hand down the ruler is the only way to go.

I prefer they cut my fabric also, but I have been known to tear some off at home, when I need a smaller piece off of a very large cut. Sometimes though, they don't cut it straight, at that point, I'd rather they tore it.

This a common practice and I actually wish all fabric stores did this. I used to work at House of Fabrics and when we did fabrics for quilters, we had to rip it. When you rip it, it tears straight down the weave of the fabric and is much more accurate than cutting. I know it it's a little messy, but it's better to deal with the strings than getting home only to find out that your cut was way off and you don't have enough fabric for your project which seems to happen all too frequently.

I do that too!

If you need a visual of why it's better to tear than cut, I have photos on my blog. I tear all wide backs in my shop - due to their width they're more susceptible to being wound 'wonky'. I cut my regular width yardage mainly because more people prefer it that way, although I may tear if I have a bolt that seems really off.

http://andicrafts.wordpress.com/2010...ad-of-cutting/

I have many fabrics here in my home on bolts. I will simply zoom through a few bolts ripping off a section or FQ's worth of fabric. I prefer the fabric to be torn. It gets it on straight of grain.
I press well and the edge usually heals. And since I am doing tons of string blocks now, those odd shapped straightening strings are PERFECT!
Subee
http://www.subeesews.blogspot.com

I hate the torn method also and it really gets on my last nerve. Most of the shops where this is done mark right on the line and then rip ... thus causing me to lose at least two inches that I paid for....at least in my experience.

This said, however, it does make the grain line straight. Most times I have to refold and repress the fabric, but at least it is now straight. But I always lose much more than I do when it is cut.

As some have mentioned, it is about the only way on a wide piece. But, this means I have to pay for a lot extra to get what I really need.

So, some pros and some cons! I was interested that many of you asked the shop to cut when their normal practice was to rip. I have never had nerve enough to do that! Guess I will from now on.

every shop I get fabric from in the area, cuts. I go to TN and at the fabric outlet there they tear the cottons. The first time I took my DGD and they tore her fabric I thought she was going to go balistic (she was maybe 13 or 14 and made her first quilt at 6) I told her it was okay and that was the way we learned to do it when I was in jr. high home ec class. Her look was priceless. I will take it either way but seem to have less waste when it is torn and again depends on how the bolt was handled for the previous customer

There is 1 quilt store in Miami and they prefer to rip, I get mine cut, I told them I didn't like the torn edges and felt I lost too much material. Its' just too expensive for that waste.

They have agreed to cut my fabric but most customers just don't speak up!

So my advice is to ask nicely, if they won't cut, go elsewhere :)

My quilting teacher makes us tear an inch or so off of each end of our fabric before we start doing anything else. She says it straightens it.

If I really needed the straight of grain I wouldn't mind them tearing the fabric...sometimes I'd prefer it, as long as they gave me an extra few inches so so I could trim the ragged edges with my rotary cutter.

When I was making clothes, it was advised to tear the fabric to find the true staight of the grain. If I do not first tear the end of the fabric I am using I can come out with some distroted pieces etc. Remember the torn end will not show, it will be part of the seam allowance and the little threads will tangle together and prevent ravelling.

Iam with you I dont like the ripped edge either.

This has been a rather interesting read! At the only quilt shop in town where my mom lives (craftybear visits the same one) they tear it there. I just about fell over the first time they tore a piece of my fabric. When I got home with it, I remembered doing that in Home Ec and lo and behold, my fabric was straight and measured fine. Everywhere I shop cuts it (can't stand Walmart's cutting). But, after readin all this, it makes me wonder.
So, on some of the large yardages I buy (say 7 or more yards), if I tear it,then do I tear it from then on, or would it straighten it out and be ok to rotary cut then? I always pre-wash, not sure if that matters or not.

Once mine is tore and on the straight of grain I then proceed to use my rotary cutter and dont have any problems

It may look messy but it does assure you that the fabric is on the straight of grain. I like it.

It will straighten out and be fine to rotary cut. When we say large pieces should be torn, we are referring to wide backings, etc.

In your case, once it is torn, pre=washed, etc., just fold so the torn edges and selvedges line up, press (not iron)before using and you will be fine.

I don't shop at stored anymore that tears fabric. I bought alot of FQS to make a quilted jacket. WHen I got home I measured the fabric and they weren't even close to a FQ. Needless to say I wasn't very happy. After a few conversations they took it back and CUT new ones. You can ask them to cut your fabric and they should do that for you. That was my experience with tearing fabric.

I prefer my fabric torn rather than cut. You loose so much if cut, but when torn...if torn every time...the fabric comes off the bolt straight and you actually have less waste than when cut. I am a garment sewer, and always want my fabric on the straight of grain before I cut it for quilting, so that is the reason for the waste when cut. The fabric is rolled onto the bolt at an angle, therefore, then cut it is also at an angle...and off grain. When torn, it will tear almost always on the straight of the grain if it is 100% cotton. I buy muslin by the bolt and always tear it off as I need it, and it is always on the straght of grain with less waste.

Sounds like they just shorted you, cut or torn.

It's true that you should be able to ask someone to cut fabric for you. But I wouldn't advise the opposite: I far prefer them to tear but only if they know how. For instance, I would NEVER, EVER ask someone at Joanne's to tear for me. Between them potentially not knowing how and not having great fabric, talk about a potential mess!

Very interesting!!! Thank you.

I have never seen it done this way. I would ask the sales person to please cut it for me, if she refused I would not purchase the fabric. To me if I want to rip, which I do on backings, I prefer to do it my self.

I agree they often don't train people well. Although I have been waited on by people who have been trained and still don't do it right. One department manager kept a note on monks cloth stating that anyone who hadn't been to the training session on how to cut monks cloth were not to touch it. A thread must be pulled in order for it to be cut accurately. I had to stop one employee because she was cutting it like 100% cotton. I was patient with her and explained how to do it correctly. She apologised for her mistake and thanked me for my help. The department manager came up to the counter while I was explaining the correct process and she wasn't pleased with the associate. Wal-Marts in our area no longer carry fabrics or patterns. I'm not happy about that. I used to get some very nice and good quality fabric there and the patterns were always 50% off.

I would absolutely prefer ripping to cutting. When you rip it "rips" on the straight grain. I have lost as much as 4-5 inches when they cut it because it was put onto the bolt crooked and when you try to straighten it you lose fabric. Another thing that just irks me is when the manufacturer decides he needs more room to advertise and makes the selvege double wide.