Tearing vs. cutting
 

I read in one of my quilting books that tearing fabric was better than cutting because you always have pieces that are perfectly straight with the grain. So, I have tried it for a couple of large pieces for backing and they seemed to come out a bit wonky. I have another back to do and now I don't know if I should cut or tear. This is where it is difficult to teach yourself. Any help is appreciated!

I would cut it - I have the same problem with mastering tearing

I would cut it, too. JMHO

I think it depends on the fabric. If it's good quality you can tear but you still have to trim a little.
I won't tear thin muslin because it will distort too much. But I've done it both ways.
Depends on my mood. LOL Sometimes I just ask my helper (DH) to hold the fabric on one
end and I use my scissors. Much faster. :)

If I need a long piece I tear and press it cut of a scant 1/4 and it is straight on grain unless the fabric is printed wonky I tear just a tad larger than needed sometimes.

You will find just as many folks in the tear camp as you will in the don't tear camp - it's right up there with the pre-washing question. There is no RIGHT way. The way YOU choose to do it is RIGHT for YOUR reasons.

These are my reasons :)

I'm not a fan of tearing. There are so few times I've had to cut something *exactly* on grain that it's just not worth it to me. I'm also a heavy starcher - so having to have something *exactly* on grain hasn't been an issue. Plus, when torn the edge is wavy so I have to cut the wave off and there is not guarentee that I've cut it *exactly* on grain so again ... why bother??

I'm talking *grain* not print - which is OFTEN off grain.

When I shopped at Eleanor Burns in Paducah the gal's in there tear the fabric, they don't cut. I'm a dedicated pre-washer and I can say that my torn fabric frayed a LOT more than my cut fabric.

The last reason ... I really hate that sound :)

I've done it both ways. With tearing, you definitely want to be certain that you have a few inches more than you think you need.

And when I tried tearing flannel it was an unmitigated disaster.

Tearing can certainly get the fabric closer to grain than it sometimes is when it is cut from the bolt - so is sometimes useful in figuring out where the wonky is. I would never use it for my narrow strips, just for the big pieces.

Mostly, if I've got a large piece of fabric (I like shopping the end of bolt sale for stash building), I'll tear off what I need rather than wrestle with the whole 2-3 yard piece on my pressing table.

Cheers, K

I tear larger cuts of fabric, especially for the backing so that I get a straight grain, I do it after it has been prewashed and hung dry. I cut all the small pieces, so I guess I do both.

I am a fan of tearing , and on some fabrics i still use the old method of pulling a thread.

Depends on the size of fabric I am dealing with -- I tear the larger pieces (like for a back), but cut the smaller pieces. There is no right way, so do what you are most comfortable with.