You don't need to be old to remember that trick. I don't rip fabric but that is one way my mother taught me.

If you don't like ripping, she also taught me to pull threads and then cut along the line it makes. Find a thread along the line you want to cut. At the edge of the fabric you pull it up with a straight pin and then slide that thread out. You will be able to see where that missing thread is for the length of the fabric. Just cut along that line.

lol Cheshirecatquilter - then I too am older than dirt!! I was always intrigued with the little measuring device that measured the fabric them with a flip of the wrist made the clip at the exact spot to rip!!

lpepperl - yes - you can rip in both directions The warp threads (those that run parallel to the selvage) are usually stronger than the woof (those threads that are WOF). So if you rip a piece lengthwise it will rip more easily but it is not impossible to rip WOF wise. I do it all the time. As others have mentioned, after ripping there is always 1/8 to 1/4 inch damage that I will trim off so I have a clean cut edge to work with.

If you are into nostalgia here is a free ebook.

A Sewing Course, Comprising Directions for Making the Various Stitches and ... circa 1908

on pg 31 there is discussion of this. There are some great tips for darning, buttonholes etc if you were a lady back then. Just kind of fun reading.

I'm a ripper, too! I don't like to piece borders if I don't have to and I love to rip nice loooong strips of fabric for borders. I trim about 1/2" off after ripping, so if a piece is going to be ripped on both sides I make sure to rip off a piece at least an inch wider than what I need.

I also rip up old bed sheets and cheap muslin to use as foundation for crazy quilts. I rip 13" squares which (after I sew all my top fabrics down) get trimmed to 12-1/2".

Plus it's just so SATISFYING. If I'm in a grouchy mood I love to go rip up some fabric. Constructive destruction...love it! I can judge my recent stress levels by measuring the size of the stack of muslin squares in my stash, LOL!

This thread has brought back a lot of memories. I'd totally forgotten the little clip unit and the hassle of drawing out a thread, cutting the channel then trying to pull the fabric back on grain. :p Fabric is certainly easier to work with these days (for the most part a any way). Joyce in Delaware

When I use top make queen size quilts for competition and for sale, I would always rip the border lengthwise and then the binding.. It was quick but it was messy but it saved time. I would trim the binding down to 2.25" binding after I had pressed it. I recently bought some fabric from a seller on eBay and was surprised to see the cut was ripped.

I rip and then wet and iron the ripply edges. Sometimes the shrinking from wetting and ironing makes it so I don't have to cut much off.

But rip, rip, rip. It's good for the soul ;-) and for your project.

I was at Harriett Hargraves store in Denver a couple weeks ago and bought some fabric and was surprised when they "ripped" the fabric. Seems that's the way they cut their fabric. I did feel like I lost a bit that way as it does warp the threads a bit. But I remember when I took sewing in school (many many moons ago) that was the way we learned to straighten our fabric before we pinned our patterns on.

I'm a ripper too! It's the best way to get a straight border.

OK...just for the record....I AM NOT OLD AS DIRT...LOL. I too, remember those measuring thingys with the dial that went round and round as the clerk pulled the fabric through it and then snipped it. The cottons that I bought were always snipped on that machine and then ripped. The clerk usually added a couple of inches for, "good measure." I also loved those brass, grooved insets on the cutting table that helped the clerk to make sure that the other types of fabrics were cut straight. I'd love to have one of those, "groovy," things in my own sewing table.

Oh...and as for your question, yes, you can rip both ways and it will leave nice, straight, edges. Just be sure that your print pattern isn't off, as fabrics are not always printed exactly on grain.

~ Cindy

In the ole days when you bought fabric it was always ripped.