How to Get a Straight Edge on Sewing Material
Before you lay out and cut the pattern pieces for a sewing project, it's important to have a straight fabric edge, signifying that the grain of the material is aligned. Unfortunately, the print on woven material sometimes is applied to fabric that is off-grain, so you can't simply cut along a printed line or row of designs on the pattern. You must find the true grain line that is woven into the material.
Instructions
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1
Lay out your unfolded fabric with the selvage edges running horizontally in front of you. Use your hands to smooth out bumps and wrinkles.
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2
Use your scissors to make an approximately 1-inch cut perpendicularly into one selvage edge and within a few inches of the cut edge of the fabric piece. With a pin, pick at the fabric around the cut until you catch a crosswise thread. This will be a thread that is woven into the material and runs from one selvage edge to the other.
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3
Carefully pull the thread to remove it. On loosely woven fabric such as linen, it should easily pull out. On tightly woven fabric such as cotton calico, you will have to pull only a few inches at a time, using one hand to pull the thread and the other hand to work and slide the fabric surrounding it.
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4
Cut the fabric along the thread line that you created when you pulled out the thread. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise to bring one selvage edge up to evenly lie on top of the other. If the two halves of the new, straight-cut edge also come together evenly, your fabric is straight and true to grain. If the cut edges are not aligned when the selvages edges are aligned, the grain of your fabric is off and must be straightened. Continue to the next step.
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5
Unfold the material and pull the fabric on the bias (diagonally) until the cut edges meet evenly when the fabric is refolded.
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Pin together the straight cut edge and the selvages edges. Press the fabric with a steam iron to set in the grain and the straight edges you just created.
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