Dec Cotton Fabric
Help with cutting fabric straight to start out.?
I’m a novice sewer & I just cannot recall the tip I got on how to make the end of the fabric straight to begin with! It’s driving me crazy, it was a simple fold method but I cannot remember it.
I have 3 yards of cotton fabric (not home dec fabric) & I want to get the cut edge straight to start. I have a large working table, scissors, yardstick, tape measure, chalk, pins and cardboard piece with lines printed on it to use.
I have to make an apron, drawstring bag, napkins & pillow case from the 3 yards for kindergarten class. The pattern instructions say to “rip” the fabric for all the cuts given. I’ve never done this myself.
So, here are my questions:
1. How to get a straight edge? Can you explain a fold method?
2. Can you rip in either direction (with/against the selvage)? Do you make a small cut first to get it started?
3. If I use the “pull one string” method to get a straight line can you only pull the string in one direction (with/against selvage)?
Thank you!
Do not tear your fabric. If the fabric isn’t woven with yarns 90 degrees to each other, you’ll get parallelograms instead of rectangles. In addition, the torn edges frequently become distorted, which makes hems and seams somewhat problematic.
Pulling a thread can also leave you with a giant parallelogram of fabric, and it’s tedious. So I propose you imitate the way manufacturers do things and just use the lengthwise (aka perfect) grainline to work from.
Spread your fabric out on the table as much as you can. Anything that wants to drip off the side or end of the table should be lightly rolled or folded and placed on the table edge — fabric over the edge will distort the flat fabric on the table.
Find yourself two more tools: something you can use to help ensure you’re drawing a 90o angle (a legal pad or a magazine works fine) and something to mark the fabric with — bar soap that’s worn so far down the edge is a sharp sliver works well, and so do washable markers, like Crayola markers. For that matter, so does a rollerball pen, though the ink may bleed later.
The edge of the fabric that’s running the 3 yard way is called a “selvage”. Those selvages are going to be our “zero mark” for marking and cutting your fabric, but they’re not actually going to be used in your project (they shrink up and misbehave). Use your yardstick and marker to draw lines parallel to at least one selvage. From those selvage markings, draw in the other rectangles you’re going to cut. Use the legal pad to make sure you’ve got 90 degree corners on your rectangles. When you run out of room on your table, unfold the folded fabric and continue the process.
When you’ve got all your rectangles marked out, you’re ready to cut. Use “bent trimmers” or “dressmaker’s shears” (the fingerholes are set off at an angle instead of straight with the blades like kiddy scissors). When you cut, open the blades fully and keep the bottom of the lower blade flat on the table. Cut almost a full bladelength with a single stroke, then open the blades, slide your hand forward, and cut another stroke. By keeping the scissors’ lower blade on the table, you help minimize any distortion occuring when cutting, and your cuts will be accurate and not jaggy.
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