I honestly prefer my fabric to be ripped accross, at least I know it will be straight. Spray the raw edge wait a bit then hand pat it & then press.

One shop near me rips fabric. I hate it, and it's one of the reasons I don't shop there often. However, I have noticed that the ripped fabric is MUCH less likely to end up in a pile of tangled mess when I wash it. The ripped edges do not fray nearly so much as the cut ones. And, after washing, the distortion is usually gone.

At the Eleanor Burns/Quilt in a Day stores at the Paducah Quilt Show this year - they had 4 locations in the city - the gals ALL tore the fabric - snipped it first - then tore. The "cutter" told us that they could not stand there all day and cut the fabric or use a rotary cutter as it would kill their hands, etc. Believe me - they had lines 10 deep at all of their locations - gals with as many bolts in their arms as they could carry. No carts though. They did have tables that you could put your fabric on and there were rocks/gravel on the floors of the barn and they had signs up that said to put a rock on top of your fabric to "save it" - LOL - very rustic.

I ripped all my fabric for the clothes I made -- my clothing instructors insisted. I find I need to extra inches to "straignten" the fabrics that have been cut -- and then it is not a true straight of grain. If I have long pieces, I prefer to rip -- I know the edges are stable. If you want to know how wonky things are -- try straightening a panel piece. They are way off grain (and off any kind of square).

If the store only rips, then all of the pieces are on grain and it is a great feeling to know that you have a stable edge.

The local LQS here does both. I prefer her to cut the fabric as I have purchased strips she ripped and they were not correct.

Ripped fabric has got a plus side--the darn thing is straight. You lose some from the edge but at least it's straight. I think it's unusual for it to be ripped. Most fabric places cut. But it's almost never straight--you can lose a lot if you really need it to be on the grain. And I think border fabric works better when it follows the grain.

If you want your warp and woof threads to be at right angle to each other, as you well might with homespun plaids and checks, as well as backings etc, the torn ends facilitate pulling on the bias to straighten out the threads. It doesn't matter much in patchwork if warp is not 90 degrees to woof, but it matters a lot if you're sewing clothing or curtains...

I am a ripper. It is usually cut at the store, but when I get it home, first thing I do is rip both ends, snip the corners to cut down on the fraying, and throw it in the washing machine. I know I lose some, but I have always done it that way and I am not getting any younger, so I will probably continue that way. My sister is on the other side of the fence. She prefers to have it cut, and she does not wash the fabric before using.