There seem to be some quilters who prefer to tear strips for quilts. I personally prefer to cut them. The edges ravel when they are torn and I find them "messy" Any views on this?
Nina

cut!

IMHO!

CUT!

Even when I cut I can't get my pieces to go together matching.

I have done both but prefer cutting.:)

I will tear if I'm "cutting" a big piece from lengthy yardage. Cut for strips though, for sure!

CUT! Tearing stretches the edges.

Cut....

Always cut!

I'm going along with the crowd. I cut them.

CUT!

Agree !

Cut. The edges get all messed up. I was amazed at Jo-Ann's the other day when instead of cutting my yardage, the clerk ripped the fabric from selvage to selvage! My edges were a mess!

For long borders --- I will tear a little larger than I need, starch and press it then cut it to the correct size removing the torn edge. This has always worked for me.....

I always CUT my stripes.

if you even up the fold and not the selvage you can get a straight cut. I didn't know that for the longest time. But it sure does make a difference.

I always cut.

I have an LQS that tears. Not an issue until I got a panel - there were squares that I just could not use due to the stretching.

Ditto!

I will tear off a yard of fabric. I would not tear a strip.

Cut!!! Cut!!! Cut!!!! (Sounds like a movie production).

When I watch someone tearing fabric, I can hear all those little fibers crying .... it must hurt them ..... I know it hurts me! :D

Same here. If something is off grain, I deal with it through fussy cutting. Tearing gives me too much of a ravelled mess.

cut - who wants all those stringy edges?

I cut mine!

I cut strips for piecing, but sometimes will tear big pieces for the backing, esp. if I know that I'll be trimming them later.

Cut !!

Cut, is my vote. But if buying backing fabric 108inch it should be torn.

CUT would never tear - its not something that is done very often over here as it can distort the fabric I once bought some from a shop here that tore the fabric - it was awful - never went back there!!!

I cut mine,but if I have an extra large piece,I will tear it and then cut the frayed edges off.

Oh goodness, I always cut.

Amazing....remember those measuring machines they used to use at the fabric (material) stores years ago. They always tore the fabric where the machine made the cut mark for the amount of yardage you desired.

I tear the larger piece of fabric, then line it up to cut the rest of the fabric. We didn't have rotary cutters back then and used our scissors and didn't have problems. The main problem people have now is that the fabric is not always put on the bolt correctly which makes the fabric off design.

There are many opinions on which method is preferrable.....whatever works for you. There is no one correct answer in quilting...only preferred methods for each of us for by our own methods of trial and error way of learning.

Not to get off subject.. but I've read on here that even quilting patterns were off on their cutting measurements....that's why I create my own. I'd hate to run out of fabric because I cut according to someone's wrong measurements especially in a published article. I have used patterns before but I always made trial blocks out of muslin before committing to my fabric.

I'm just trying to say that there is a method for everyone and no right or wrong way.

me, too, and the customers at the shop would tar and feather me if I ever tried to tear. That's a sure weakness to the fabric and a definite way of causing loss of fabric with all you have to cut off to get to good use able fabric!

I agree with the masses...tearing ruins the edges.

Cut! Tearing distorts the edge into the fabrici in for inches. I often use sissors to cut fabrics. If you tear then you still have to cut off edge to to get rid of the stretched fabric so what have you gained? As for Joann's tearing I would have refused fabric and insisted that it be cut. My LQS does not seem very concerned about quilting fabrics/blocks being with straight of grain.

I always cut, but at the LQS at my moms, they only tear. When we go there to shop-I tell the ladies if I buy fabric that if they won't cut it, I don't want it. I bought a panel from them once and they tore into the panel and didn't see it. I did-made them cut one!

I like to cut mine, but I remember seeing women tearing their quilt pieces when I was growing up, and that method seemed to have worked well for them. However, that was at a time when most fabric was woven straight, and in today's world, that is not always the case.

With arthritis and a bad back I prefer to tear anything longer than 24". When I was in HOme Economics class many years ago our teacher told us not to purchase fabric that was offgrain or if the pattern was printed crooked. She told us as long as the customer was willing to pay for bad fabric they would continue to sell it to us. If I am purchasing a plaid or a striped fabric I will insist that the store tear it. That is the only way to be sure it is woven or printed correctly. With the price of fabric constantly going up we should be able to purchase quality.

Cut

I tear only to get to a true grain on fabric that has been hopelessly off grain, then trim the torn edge. I cut everything else.

when they start to ripe I ask for the material to be cut, if they manage to ripe before I get the words out I refuse to accept that section. Don't be afraid to speak up, after all you are the one putting out the $$$$.