I guess I am not that exacting---I make an effort to have my directional prints in line, but they often aren't and I use them anyway! It seems once the quilt is finished, quilted and washed those wonky little prints are not noticible.

I try to keep those pesky little plaids, dots, and stripes lined up but the little guys keep getting wonky anyway... and I still buy them. I marvel at those who manage it.

Yep, learning to look real close at fabric patterns before purchasing!:)

Interesting question. I come from a background of garment sewing. When I square up fabric I pull a crosswise thread across the width of the fabric, cut along that line and then stretch the fabric on the bias until it is straight. Measure that on the table edges of fold in the center and see if the ends match. If you buy printed plaids they are never going to be printed on grain.If you cut according to the print they can cause difficulty in the piecing process-remember, starch washes out and pieces can relax to the pre-starched dimension. Polka dots can be printed in rows, staggered rows or random and are easier to use. I personally think grain is important-other quilters do not.

A lifetime ago, actual a few lifetimes ago, in Middle school, we made place mats in a class that was called Home Economics. I still remember pulling threads until we had a continuous edge one way and then I think that we actually pulled the other thread until it was continuous on the edge that was 90 degrees to the first. Forgive me in that was a few years ago and I could be remembering the process incorrectly. I don't remember pulling or stretching along the bias, but it all makes sense.

Sometimes going back to the basics and getting a reminder of the foundations of the art that people that sew practice, is a good thing. Like in so many hobbies out there, the advanced techniques are sometimes being able to apply the basics with consistency and efficiency.

I'm trying to put this in my perspective so I can wrap my head around it. Thanks for letting me ramble a little this morning before work. :o

years ago when I was sewing shirts for my husband and son, the fabric seemed to be more even. the plaids matched and I never had a problem. Then, I noticed I couldn't match up the plaids like I used to do. I bought fabric from all kinds of places and the expensive stuff was just as uneven as the cheaper cuts. When I asked about it, I was told that that was how the fabric was being made. No one seems to know why so I just live with it and do the best I can. Whether it's quilting or clothing sewing, just do the best you can. If the fault is with the fabric there is nothing you can do about it.

I think those who come to quilting without a background in garment sewing have some advantages. Quilting requires a different skills set, and some of the requirements learned in garment construction can hold back a quilter.

Unless possibly if you quilt specifically for shows (I am thinking of Sharon Schamber), it really is not necessary to pull threads or make sure you are absolutely on-grain for quilting. Shrinkage/distortion from fabric is not an issue in a quilt as long as there is a moderate amount of quilting. Quilting binds the fabrics to the batting, at which point the batting takes over control of shrinkage.

The purpose of starch is to stabilize fabric so edges don't distort from handling while piecing. Once the fabric is quilted, it doesn't matter that the starch washes out. The batting (as long as the fabric is quilted to it) will not allow fabric to shrink more than the batting shrinks. There can be a problem if the quilting lines are far apart (especially something like 10" apart) or if the quilt is tied rather than quilted. In those cases, the unquilted fabric areas are so large it is possible for them to shrink more than the batting shrinks. However, for quilts that have quilting lines 4" apart or closer, it really is not a problem.

It's important to understand that fabric shrinks differently when washed on its own and when washed after it has been quilted to batting. Washed on its own, fabric will shrink as much as it can. Once it is quilted, the batting will control how much the fabric is allowed to shrink.

The only issue with cutting fabric pieces on-grain or off-grain has to do with distortion of the edges during piecing. Cutting slightly off-grain does not affect fabric edges very much. Cutting completely on the bias does present the quilter with an edge that becomes easily distorted with handling. In the latter case, heavily starching fabric (even if the fabric was not pre-washed and thus retains some of the manufacturer's stabilizers) before cutting bias strips helps keep the edges undistorted while piecing. Unwashed fabrics have enough stability that you can cut slightly off-grain and it is not a problem while piecing. Washed fabrics benefit from being starched before cutting, but it doesn't have to be the very heavy starching that helps with totally bias cuts.

With a pattern that is printed off-grain, there is honestly no problem with cutting pieces off-grain *as long as you know what you are doing*. The more off-grain the cut is, the more you should consider using some degree of starch to stabilize the edges during piecing.

If you think about garment sewing, the pieces of fabric that need to drape over your hips are relatively large and are not quilted to a batting. In order to drape properly, those pieces need to be cut with the grain going in the correct direction. This is simply not an issue with quilts that have a moderate amount of quilting in them.

Thanks again for the great replies and advancing my skill set with solid information. :thumbup:

If there's a beginner's forum, not many experienced quilter's would be on it to answer questions for the beginner.

The greige goods (base fabric) is stretched taut prior to printing. No way will any design printed be perfectly lined up once printed. The eye corrects the image. Just cut on grain and don't obsess.
Sandy