That conversation with a vintage seamstress about fabric grain

I was at a fabric swap in Portland last month and this older woman, must have been in her 70s, stopped me from cutting a piece of silk on the wrong grain. She said 'honey, you're fighting the weave before you even start.' I thought I knew grain lines from a basic pattern but she spent like 20 minutes showing me how the fabric drapes different on bias versus straight. It hit me different because I've been sewing for 3 years and never once checked if my grain was truly square. Has anyone else had a random stranger totally change how you prep your materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas_carr2412d ago

Yeah, an old tailor showed me how to find grain by tearing fabric. Total game changer.

the_barbara12d ago

Oh man, that's such a good tip. I started doing that after a buddy showed me and it saves so much guessing on tricky fabrics. Your mileage may vary with really slippery stuff like charmeuse but for cotton and linen it's almost foolproof.