Glynda

I did not loose inches when it was torn, I lost inches when the sales person cutting the material just used a pair of scissors and very rapidly cut the material not caring if it was cut straight or not.
Example:
Lets say I asked for 1 yard of material, she nipped it with her scissors at 36 inches exacly. Then started cutting without a guide of any sort, and the other other side of the material ended up being cut at 34 inches. That would be a lose of 2 inches on one side of the material.
If you needed the exact 36 inches all the way across, then you have been shorted.
No stretching would make up for this. Sewing on the fray of the material is not an option for me since I want it to be a solid and secure seam. And Yes, I really do think the quality of fabric makes a difference. But a bad cut, is a bad cut whether it is poor quality fabric or top of the line fabric.

JulieR

Yes, I agree I've lost inches with cutting as well. But tearing - never. So my question was meant for those who prefer cutting because tearing has done bad things to their fabric.

As for sewing ON the fray - of course not. My point was there's usually so little fray that it just gets included with my seam allowance. I've never had a problem doing that either, even with much-loved baby and pet blankets, but I guess YMMV.

Glynda

I agree..............

CraftyGardenMom

Yes! They still do this at a local fabric store here in the DC metro area: G Street Fabrics.

writerwomen

We bought fabric at JC penny, Zarze and the Five and Dime. The stores had worn wood floors that creeked. The ceilings were so high the lights that hung from them were more abiance then affective. There were real treasures to be found- some layered in dust others in retaped packages. Fabric bolts were in piles on those monsterous display tables. All the ladies wore a tape measure around their neck and knew sewing terminology up and down.Buttons came in basic colors and sizes, as did thread zippers and other notions. Scissors were meant to be a life time investment and getting them sharpened was not that expensive. There was something special about picking the fabric watching it be cut while the ladies smiled and asked if you were getting a new dress ( in my case they would matching to Mom's and a doll.)I would watch the lady carefully fold the fabric and lay it gently into a crisp brow bag then fold the top of the bag down and offer it to me who was only big enough to se over the counter. Patterns were not as outragous as they are now but rarely did we use or follow one. Each christmas one of us kids got a special box with a 1/2 finished outfit. Either Mom didn't have the time to finish or it needed to be fitted before going further. Though I am greatful for many of our modern day advancements there is something to be said for a time when things weren't so organized and just so. All that said I still remember kids thinking I was a snob. My Father was a pastoer of a small church and my mother knew how to pinch every penny,whether it was cooking or sewing( okay so the cooking we didn't really appreciate as kids- squash was squash no matter what you did to it or one of the many other items a farmer had given them because they were not beautiful for sale looking). The kids at school thought I was a snob because I didn't wear jeans. The reality was at the time my Mother could make 5 pairs of pants for the cost of one pair of jeans. Funny how this all has gone in reverse- now premades are much less.

CarolLady

I remember the machine to measure and nip a cut then rip... Had almost forgotten about that!!

louisebuck

i still do my material that way
louise from arkie

dove

that's how i was taught about a year and a half ago, but i've never done that...it makes my skin crawl...it feels sacreligious to every fiber of my being.

jpthequilter

Remember the dial with one hand that went round and round, and if the measurer went too far, she just pulled the fabric back the other way, and the hand went round the other way until the length numbers were right. Then she pushed a lever to nip the edge of the fabric.
I think those would still be usefull today!

crafty_linda_b

yep sure do...when I worked at woolworths we had a machine that we zipped the fabric thru and it had a dial that measured it...when we got to the amount they wanted we crimped the handle and it snipped the edge and we'd rip it...It would work because the fabrics were all 100% cotton then..the blends won't rip straight. Geez..I am older than dirt huh? *LOL* thanks for the walk down memory lane..crafty_linda_b