BellaBoo
my oh my if I remember correctly from my southern roots, we'd have to say well bless their hearts. :shock: I'd have walked out also though I think I'd have been in such a state of shock, I'm not sure I'd have had the state of mind to speak up. Good for you! I wonder how many others walked out never to return after experiencing questionable service and horrific cutting practices...never really knowing what a louse the owner was. GEEZ.

Every where I go They cut with the rotery cutter. I 'm Happy with that.

I've seen shears again lately, very few rotary cutters in local shops...I wonder if there were a lot of miscuts that made everyone revisit shears.
Personally, it doesn't matter to me shears or rotary...just not that tearing.

Oh, I speak up when I see something not right, confusing, or too stupid to be true, to find out what's the answer. Many times it's reasonable but the past few years I'm finding more situations just plain not right. I'm Southern so I always ask with a smile.

yes, the smile helps...sometimes. Southern drawl makes it much nicer. Unfortunatley I dont' have much of mine left but retained MOST of my good manners :lol:

Excellent point Prism! We hear from other experiences of how much they end up cutting to get rid of the frayed 'rips' off the end of the fabrics. I always wondered how far up the damage would go. So, when done...how much did they get off that yard they paid for?:)

{"When did cotton become a delicate? Is it because most quilters didn't start out as clothing sewers?" }
The answer to me for this question is prob when we were not paying $10-12 a yard! And, when someone is paying more for a yard like that it looks cheap to rip! I find fabrics valuable...of value in my opinion...to rip shows no respect for the person buying it or the 'value' of what you are sending out after purchase. I would be personally ticked if someone ripped a purchase! Here they rotary cut...using a ruler to line up straight both ways! And I have never had any complaints about it! I'm proud to take it home!! Skeat..........who btw, does not know how to 'sew'...

Skeat,
thanks for pointing that out...besides the nauseating sound it is ultimately a lack of respect for the fabrics we adore. I take such good care of my purchases at home, how could I not expect the same treatment in a shop that seems like fabric heaven? And you are also right, that fabric is valuable to us...some people still pass it out for free like it's worthless but it's given a good home here and in the precious stashes of quilters everywhere.

RETRO
also not a seamstress by any stretch

Exactly!:)I even have some I still can't cut up!LOL

What a flashback!! My family had a general merchandise store and there was a fabric dept in the front of the store. My aunt was in charge of that dept and tried to keep up to date. She had one of those gadgets that is spoken of here. Yes, I remember the sound of that thing and the sound of the fabric being torn. I also remember her bundling the fabric with all of the notions in a neat package wrapped in white paper and tied with white string. When we got home with the package, we unwrapped carefully and kept the paper neatly folded for other purposes. The string was wound around the ball of string that had been started long before. I miss having string around the house. :lol:

I don't think it was an act of disrespect to tear the fabric. Quite to the contrary, I think they wanted to be sure that we received a piece that had a straight edge.

I still prefer tearing. But I have been sewing and quilting for over 40 years and the shops all were tearing cotton at the time. I have found that when they cut it is not straight and I lose as much as 3 inches when I straighten the fabric. Now all the quilt shops and Jo Anns are cutting so close to a yard, many times by the time I straighten their cut I don't have a yard. I still tear my borders and backs and my quilts are perfectly square. When you tear you just need to be easy. I still respect and love my fabric. If you buy really good fabric the fraying is really to a minimum. Not all but many are acting like tearing is a sin, get over it, don't be so hard on those of us that also are really good quilters and prefer to tear. There is no right or wrong. It is a preference.