Straight of grain
#31
Have you ever bought a pair of pants that never hang right and are difficult to iron because they never lie flat or "feel right"? That's because they weren't cut right on the grain. Pieces just fit better when cut on the grain.
#33
I always have my fabric on the straight of grain. That is the way I was taught to sew and I have always followed it since then. Everything fits better, looks better and hangs better.
However, I do not tear my fabric. I pull a thread and then cut along that pull. This gets you a perfect straight of grain. Then, if the sides don't align up correctly, I pull along the bias until the sides do align correctly.
I could not imagine trying to sew on a border that was not on the straight of grain. I would be afraid it would end up all wobbly! Ok, so MAYBE it doesn't make as much of a difference with small pieces, but to me that is kind of like saying an EXACT 1/4 inch seam is not going to make that much of a difference. Maybe that one being off won't, but after 10 or 12 pieces, it will make a difference.
However, I do not tear my fabric. I pull a thread and then cut along that pull. This gets you a perfect straight of grain. Then, if the sides don't align up correctly, I pull along the bias until the sides do align correctly.
I could not imagine trying to sew on a border that was not on the straight of grain. I would be afraid it would end up all wobbly! Ok, so MAYBE it doesn't make as much of a difference with small pieces, but to me that is kind of like saying an EXACT 1/4 inch seam is not going to make that much of a difference. Maybe that one being off won't, but after 10 or 12 pieces, it will make a difference.
#34
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Port Lavaca, TX
Posts: 1,276
Originally Posted by Prism99
Originally Posted by CompulsiveQuilter
??? So to make sure it's straight on grain ... before cutting strips you would tear off a bit and line up the two sides and re-fold the yardage? Is that right?
For quilting purposes, it is not critical to always be exactly on-grain to the thread. It's more important to be close to on-grain for piecing. For example, you want the edges of your quilt top to be on-grain so they don't stretch out of shape from handling during sandwiching, quilting and binding. Bias edges must be handled very carefully to avoid distortions. For cutting out strips and pieces, it's enough to be close to on-grain; it doesn't have to be perfect!
With garments, grain is extremely important in order for fabrics to drape properly over the body. Quilt tops that are made out of many small pieces of fabric are going to have grain lines going every which way. Keeping strips and pieces cut close to grainlines helps ensure piecing accuracy so all pieces fit together in the end.
Edit: I would add that most quilters do not tear fabric to determine straight-of-grain. It's enough to "eyeball" it by lining up selvedges. Where we need to be very precise is with the cutting angles. For example, once a fabric is folded, a cut needs to be exactly 90 degrees from the fold (not the selvedges!) in order to have a straight cut when the fabric is unfolded. The cause of the dreaded "V" cut in strips has nothing to do with grainline, but everything to do with whether the ruler was positioned exactly 90 degrees from the fold line.
and how we used to pull the fabric bias ways to straighten it? We used to get two ladies to pull hard - it was hard work! usually it worked, but sometimes we would wash a piece of a yard - no more than two yards, damp, and pull it hard on the bias until it was straight. It was worth the few minutes of work because it sewed so nicely.
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