"Shocked" and "Horrified" expression was SO worth it!
02-17-2013, 12:55 PM
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 538
OK, showing my age. In HS Home Ec we learned to straighten fabric by tearing. It will only tear on the cross grain, not on the bias. Then to make sure the grain line was straight, with 2 people, we stood with the fabric folded in half, selvedges at the top holding the 2 corners of our end of the length of fabric. Keeping the selvedge edges even, we shifted the fabric until it hung straight with no wrinkles. Then, if one side was longer than the other, we dropped that corner and pulled the short side away from one another (like a tug of war) . Rechecked it and worked until the fabric was on grain. This probably will not be too successful on poly blends or any man made fibers that may be heat set in the mfg. process. Not sure why this still isn't done. But no one teaches serious sewing any more. (Do I sound like a grumpy OLD person. tee hee).
Last edited by Teeler; 02-17-2013 at 12:58 PM.
02-17-2013, 03:34 PM
#22
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Front row
Posts: 14,646
I wish I had taken more time with my Home Ec teacher. She had knowledge she brought to the class she didn't learn at teaching school! She made sure we knew the right way to pin fabric, trace and sew darts, invisible hem stitch which I use to sew on my binding now, put in a zipper perfectly with a 5/8 seam overlap, ease in sleeves and so much more. It has helped me in my quilting so much to remember all she taught me.
02-17-2013, 04:46 PM
#23
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Northwest Arkansas
Posts: 26
I wish I had taken more time with my Home Ec teacher. She had knowledge she brought to the class she didn't learn at teaching school! She made sure we knew the right way to pin fabric, trace and sew darts, invisible hem stitch which I use to sew on my binding now, put in a zipper perfectly with a 5/8 seam overlap, ease in sleeves and so much more. It has helped me in my quilting so much to remember all she taught me.
02-18-2013, 05:48 AM
#25
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Barnesville GA
Posts: 3,181
Years ago most fabric stores tore fabric. They ran it through the little measuring machine that made a little snip in the fabric and tore. I still tear my long pieces such as borders. Or if I have large yardage its much easier to measure, snip, tear then it is to try and futz around with cutting it. At least I know for sure I have a straight edge most of the time . But for someone who grew up with everyone cutting to the barest 1/100th of an inch I guess tearing would be scary..
02-18-2013, 05:54 AM
#26
Super Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,391
Back in 1978 I made 75 square dance dresses for a club. There were miles and miles of red ruffles, narrow ones for the sleeves and wide ones for the bottom of the skirts. I tore and tore and they were wonderful. I would make clips along the cut end of a bolt of fabric at the designated widths I needed, tear down about a foot, grab every other strip and hand it to a friend. We then walked away from each other the length of the room and then went again! I sat and hemmed them, she ruffled them, they went into baskets by size (2", 7", 9", etc.) and got applied to the skirts and sleeves. Took WAY less time then cutting, I can't even imagine doing it with scissors (this was before rotary cutters were common). I still rip and shock people all the time!
In my high school home ec. class, we had to pull the fabric on the bias until it straightened out. If it was cut with scissors, we had to "pull a thread" all the way across the fabric so we could see the grain line. Those threads are not strong, and it was hard to do. Then we cut on that line and straightened it by pulling on the bias. I was shocked when I found out that people just cut fabric without straightening it first. Lots easier.
02-18-2013, 06:40 AM
#28
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: St. Louis suburbs
Posts: 6,084
When I started sewing at age 12, we always wore full skirts, really full gathered or pleated skirts. We tore the fabric and it was fine. I occasionally tear the borders because I don't like piecing them and they turn out great.
02-18-2013, 06:41 AM
#29
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Rosedale, Indiana
Posts: 2,003
I wish all shops ripped the fabric. I have gotten some really bad cuts over the years and ended up losing a bunch of fabric when I had to square up the cuts. years ago I worked in the fabric dept. of Montgomery Wards and we tore all our tearable fabrics.
02-18-2013, 06:45 AM
#30
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Rosedale, Indiana
Posts: 2,003
I wish I had taken more time with my Home Ec teacher. She had knowledge she brought to the class she didn't learn at teaching school! She made sure we knew the right way to pin fabric, trace and sew darts, invisible hem stitch which I use to sew on my binding now, put in a zipper perfectly with a 5/8 seam overlap, ease in sleeves and so much more. It has helped me in my quilting so much to remember all she taught me.
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