What does your LQS do? Tear or cut?
#11
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Camarillo, California
Posts: 35,242
Mine around here cut. Some with the rotary cutter others with scissors. I have been to places that tear, even one of the vendors at The International Quilt Festival in Long Beach tore their fabrics.
#13
Shops here cut--scissors and rotary. I visited a shop in VA years back. They rotary cut the regular bolts but tore the wide backing material.
Come to think of it, it happened like that too in a shop I visited in PA too.
I have no real "preference" per se, just accustomed to cutting since that's been the norm.
Come to think of it, it happened like that too in a shop I visited in PA too.
I have no real "preference" per se, just accustomed to cutting since that's been the norm.
#14
Interesting enough, I frequent two Amish stores. (Perhaps one is Mennonite), one cuts, the other tears.
The one says it gives a more precision cut, the other says it is the true straight of the grain.
The one says it gives a more precision cut, the other says it is the true straight of the grain.
#18
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,659
I prefer to have my fabric cut.
I've been tearing 15-18 inch lengths of muslin off the six yard piece I bought for the "Dear Jane" blocks i've been making - it really doesn't seem to afflict it very much and I've been able to press the ends so they aren't ruffled.I estimate that I'm losing less than 1/4 inch on each torn end.
In my opinion, the grain of the fabric is the grain of the fabric regardless of whether it's cut or torn. When it's torn, the crosswise grain is more obvious, but tearing it doesn't make it straight if it's off-grain to begin with.
I've been tearing 15-18 inch lengths of muslin off the six yard piece I bought for the "Dear Jane" blocks i've been making - it really doesn't seem to afflict it very much and I've been able to press the ends so they aren't ruffled.I estimate that I'm losing less than 1/4 inch on each torn end.
In my opinion, the grain of the fabric is the grain of the fabric regardless of whether it's cut or torn. When it's torn, the crosswise grain is more obvious, but tearing it doesn't make it straight if it's off-grain to begin with.
#19
A shop I visited recently cut the printed material and ripped the batiks.
I always understood that ripping would keep things on grain. but might release fibers and chemicals in the air which might bother those with allergies.
I always understood that ripping would keep things on grain. but might release fibers and chemicals in the air which might bother those with allergies.
#20
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Orchard Park, NY (near Buffalo, which is near Niagara Falls)
Posts: 3,884
Originally Posted by quiltluvr
Shops here cut--scissors and rotary. I visited a shop in VA years back. They rotary cut the regular bolts but tore the wide backing material.
Come to think of it, it happened like that too in a shop I visited in PA too.
Come to think of it, it happened like that too in a shop I visited in PA too.
And yet... supposing it was off-grain, you'd now have a very large diamond-shaped piece of fabric for your backing. So you'd better wash it, right? So that it straightens out before assembly?
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