My washed yard of Batik doesn't square
 

Is this normal? I'm to cut two WOF lengths but the material doesn't square when folded once. Any suggestions?

When washing fabric before use, make sure that you press and square up your fabric before using. Here is a good video that explains the process.

https://youtu.be/42w5fuQmqSI

Check YouTube for lots of wonderful videos on how to do this. If this is nit what you are referring to then a little more clarification would help us help you.

I was taught in Home Ec that cotton fabric will shrink in only one direction. I think it was crosswise direction. I guess I could look it up.

After measuring hundreds of pieces of fabrics before and after washing them - I have found that most usually do shrink more in one direction than in the other. But it seemed to be about a toss-up as to which way shrank more often. Equal shrinkage in both directions did not happen very often,

Even a muslin that was labeled as "pre-shrunk" shrank drastically.

Of all those hundreds of pieces of cotton fabrics - maybe - possibly - ten of them did not shrink in either direction.