I do strive to cut on grain. When the fabric is off grain it can stretch. The stretching really shows up at the quilting stage for a longarmer. There will be "valleys and hills" within the blocks. Also, the fabric will not lay down while being quilted which causes pleats and tucks.
Also, if you have a block with bias cuts in the block, if the sashing is off grain that block can really stretch when on the frame. Just my opinion. |
I find that spray starch solves a lot of the stretching problems. Also, I tend to sew bias seams before cutting when possible. As that is not always possible, I don't worry about it. Bias can also be your friend, so when I do have a bias edge, I make it work for me instead of against me.
So no, I don't worry about the grain line when cutting for quilts. |
For 8 years I never cared about grain and did just fine. Then I decided to experiment and cut a border on the grain. I really liked the results. Now I almost always cut borders on the grain. It's kind of wasteful on fabric though.
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I've been "going against the grain" for years...I'm sure of it, because I don't waste material just to get the grain right....and don't worry about it. I cut and sew and work in all my flaws and imperfections and have never had a complaint from a quilt recipient.
To each his own...or as I like to say, in quilting there are no rights and wrongs...only preferences. |
I have to agree with crashnquilt, when you put a quilt on a frame to quilt it gets stretched in 4 directions at once, if there is a lot of bias cuts, especially on or near the edge, you can't keep it straight and sometimes you will get less than satisfactory quilting.
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I prefer to cut on the grain too, less stretching while piecing. Off grain and bias cuts are why I prefer PPing :D:D:D
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Never worried about cutting on the grain and I have always been very satisfied with the results of my quilts that I have made, just my opinion...
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I have never taken any of my quilts to a long arm quilter, so maybe that's why I haven't noticed the difference. I usually just SID and haven't encountered any problems that I couldn't incorporate into the quilt.
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thanks all, I do my own quilting. Maybe that is why I have never had a problem or complaint.
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Originally Posted by k9dancer
I find that spray starch solves a lot of the stretching problems.
And the quilt feels just wonderful after that first wash! |
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