So at my LQS I got 1/2 yard of fabric and she put a little slit in the fabric and then ripped the fabric for the yardage! I gasped and she laughed since i've never seen it done this way before. Is the line more accurate this way? I would think they would get tired from doing this all day...

I prefer that they cut the fabric!!

I have seen this done at a quilting class I took last year.

Tearing the fabric gives you a true on grain edge, but unless they give you at least a couple of inches of "fudge", you lose some fabric when you trim off the torn bit. When I need a smaller piece of fabric from a large piece in my stash I always tear it.

I really hate to have my fabric ripped - it stretches.

I've seen it done too, but not with quilting fabric. I'd have a big fat cow right there in the store if they ever did it with any quilting fabric I planned to purchase.

I don't mind them tearing as long as they give a little extra, like dhanke said. I find it less tiring and stressful to tear long strips than trying cut long strips.

Back in the day that's how it was done whenever you bought fabric. Nowadays some are totally against it, others don't mind. I'm in the "don't mind" group. :)

Have you ever bought a yard of fabric that had been cut for you and taken it home only to find it to be terribly crooked? Snip it, tear it and you will find that you really don't have a yard of fabric. I don't know how many half yards I have had cut that end up maybe only 15-16 full inches wide across the 42+ inches. My mother was a terrific seamstress. She always tore her fabric to get it straight before she cut out a pattern. That's what they did in the "olden" days.

That's the way they always used to do it. (In prehistoric times). I also prefer this method and always tear my fabric when I'm doing borders.

OUCH! I remember those times. But then I'm getting to be somewhat of a dinosaur. LOL

I prefer to snip and tear yardage myself. why take 1 minutes to do something that can be done in 30 seconds and come out "true"!

The staff at Eleanor Burns store and tent ripped when I was in Paducah. Not sure if they do this all year round, or just during Paducah week.

It didn't bother me that they ripped it as I know it's a straighter edge and I'm not worried about it stretching because I pre-wash - so it would find "home" again. BUT the amount of fray that it created when I pre-washed was WELL beyond what I expected to find. WHAT A MESS!!

Bought 1 yard cuts of three different fabrics this weekend and for the first time ever at an LQS they did exactly what I would have done had I been at home. She laid out all three fabrics on top of each other then cut 1 yard!

me too - you get a truer edge. I just sew with the torn edge still on. You don't lose anything then.

Then I must be getting old - before I start to cut, after my fabrics are ripped and then washed, I press the pieces so I can line them up and have them exact. That is the way that I was 'trained' and the way I do it. And I do it with just about everything. When I buy, I always buy a couple of inches extra - usually by rounding up to the next quarter. That is one reason that I LOVE Connecting Threads fabrics - their yards are 37". :thumbup: :thumbup:

I don't usually 'tear first - wash second - iron third' the pieces that are under half a yard. I will usually pull a thread to get them even. I HATE when you cut a strip and it has a bend in the middle. HATE IT!!!! So I tear/wash/iron. Makes it an easier person to deal with. :lol: :lol: :lol:

My thought exactly!!!!

If they are giving me extra to account for the stretch, I don't mind tearing. I do it myself when I need long lengths. I'm also a dinosaur who remembers all fabric being done this way.

When I was in school in the seventies we were taught how to rip fabric and then how to pull it to get it on the straight of grain. Stretching it was never a concern, it was deemed necessary to getting it straight so it could be cut. This had to be done with each persons yardage before we were allowed to begin any sewing projects. It was very surprising how much of it was off grain.

This is the way I do my borders. Sew with the torn edge still on. They turn out flat and good. I guess it's "to each their own". :shock: :mrgreen:

In my sewing class, when we have large yardage and need a small piece, I always have my kids tear the fabric, but I have them allow a couple extra inches to avoid any shortages

I specifically request them to tear it if there are plaids involved. When I was working on the other side of the counter I would ask the customer their preference, and do as they asked.

I always tear one end of my fabric. I spray with starch, let dry, tear, then iron, it makes it so much easier to get the fabric folded with selvages together on grain. no guess work about it! Then I just trim that end off before I start cutting my pieces.

I always tear my borders along the length of the fabric in order to end up with a truly straight piece.

It seems like no matter which way they do it, you lose some yardage on the end. I prefer the cut edge. I've never had a difficult time finding the straight grain on my ownwhen trimming.

I have purchased 1 yard pieces and washed them, only to find that I lost anywhere's up to 2" as it wasn't cut on the "true". I tear my fabric at home - I have seen the hint about pulling the thread though.

They rip at "Mood" in NYC!

If they start with a torn edge, measure and then tear your yardage, it seems to me you shouldn't loose anything. If it is "wonky", pull two opposite corners (diagonally across the fabric) and tug it until the threads shift and it squares up. My home ec teacher in high school taught us this. We had a real tug-of-war with some fabrics to get them to be on-grain; short, snapping tugs do better than one pull. Then you have all the treads lined up so that when you fold in half the salvages match and the ends are also even. I think it's worth the extra time for some fabric, especially plaids that are woven into the fabric and not just printed on top.

I agree. I rather that they tear it, I always tear all my fabrics before I begin a project! :thumbup:

if they always TEAR then your fabric does not need the "FUDGE" factor..it is when one person cuts and the the next one goes to tear that you could lose some on the cut end...cutting does NOT happen on the true grain of the fabric..tearing does!

:shock: Prehistoric times~?? :shock: :mrgreen:
I hear ya on the *ouch* :lol: Well, you're not the only
dinosaur ... l'll keep you company :lol: :lol:

If they won't cut it I won't buy it. I was at a quilt store in Houston, TX and wanted to buy a lot of fabric. They measured the first peice and then tore it--I told them I didn't want it torn, they refused to cut it so I refused to spend my money there.

WOW!! I have joined another group, to become a member of the "Olden Times" bunch!!!!!!! I always thought the "olden times" were when people traveled on foot, either their own or horses, mules or Jack-asses. Maybe a wagon if they were lucky and lives on a farm.
Really, at 82 yrs of age, born in the spring of 1929, and still active enough to do almost everything I want, plus looking forward to another 10 years, at least.
Guess that will make me ancient won't it????
I hope to quilt 100 quilts for American Hero Quilts this year. I am just finishing the 71st one.
How are you young whipersnappers doing?
Phyllis
82 yrs in Oregon
70 yrs quilting---yes, I am , first one @ age 12.

If someone ripped my fabric I would hand it back you have to loose quite a bit because the ripping distorts the edge

At Joann's we cut fabric. If customer wants the fabric torn, we do that too. Anything with a definite pattern line (like plaids), we cut "on the line." My LQS uses cutting mats and rotary cutters.

I prefer to have my fabric cut.

Some tears don't do much "damage" - I've seen some where there are pulls on the rest of the fabric as far as one inch -

If there is a piece where I am feeling compulsive about getting a "true" grain, then I will pull a thread - a lot more time consuming, but much less fabric damage that way.

Many fabrics will "revert" to whatever they want to be when washed and dried. I used to do the "tug of war" to attempt to straighten them. When laying around, some of them went back to what they were. So now I usually just deal with how the fabric is after it's been washed and dried.

if fabric is torn, you will get what you pay for. I've lost as much as 9" each end of a cut from Walmart, when I've torn the ends to make a piece square.. And recently lost abotu 5" from a JoAnn's piece.

FIRM BELIEVER IN TEARING.

I prefer it that way. I don't like to have my fabric cut with scissors or a rotary cutter. It is never right.

Sybil

I don't like tearing. It warps the fabric. And when the pieces are cut, sewn, and then quilted into place throuch the batting, I find that it all stays in place and squared anyway. So I like the cutting method better than the ripping.
.

I have been ripping for ever.I would never have had enough fabric for one quilt if I had not torn it .The pattern called for a certain amount and i was trying to break a bad habit of ripping and found myself running low on fabric went back to ripping and completed it.

just 2"? You've been lucky!