Wednesday, 12 March 2014 00:00
What Is Fabric Grain and How Can I Use It When Cutting?
Written by d'Italia
Yet another common sewing term you might hear or read being thrown around is the grain of a fabric. This is a very basic concept ins sewing and fabric working, and before you can move on to concepts like cutting on the bias or simply making effective cuts in your fabrics, it’s important to know what a grain is and how to find it.
The Grain
The grain is the individual “grid,” so to say, of small threads that run perpendicular to each other that makes up the fabric you’re using. In our last post we discussed what a selvage is, and coming to understand the grain may help if you apply it to that; half of the grain will run parallel to the selvage (or any edge, for that matter), and the other half will run perpendicular.
Using Grain to Cut
To get crisp, straight cuts, try to trim along the grain running perpendicular to the selvage. Typically finding the grain isn’t too difficult, you just have to look closely or even feel the texture with your fingers. Just beware when cutting striped patterns, though, as sometimes the grain doesn’t coincide exactly with the print.
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Sewing Tips
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