Grain Perfection

The ultimate goal for people how cut & sew is the Grain Perfection. Smart styling and a professional look in clothing construction require correct use of the grain of the fabric. No formula or method can conceal a poorly cut garment. Garment pieces cut or pulled off grain will not fit correctly and will hang poorly when worn. Whether simple or elaborate in design, the fabric shows whether or not it has been cut on the exact grain.

“Grain” is the direction of yarns in a fabric. The length wise grain refers to yarns running the length of the fabric piece. These yarns are parallel to the selvage or finished edges of the fabric. The crosswise grain refers to yarn running across the width of the fabric piece from selvage to selvage. Corresponding terms for knits are “Wales” for lengthwise direction and “courses” for the crosswise direction.

A third important direction is that of the “bias”. The true bias is the perfect diagonal across the fabric, forming a 45^o angle to the selvage. This direction provides the greatest amount of stretch and elasticity. To find the true bias, fold the lengthwise grain of the goods (selvage) at a right angle so that the lengthwise grain lies parallel to the crosswise grain.

This fold gives the direction of the true bias. True bias should be used for bindings, facings, trims etc. Other diagonal folds or cuts at any other angle may also be called bias, but they are garments bias and not true bias. They provide less stretch than does a true bias.

Fabric used to clothe the body is flat, but the human figure comes in many rounded forms and shapes. Both the body and the fabric, however, have a perpendicular or vertical line as their base. Vertical lines are used as the basis of designing and cutting a garment to fit the body. All darts, gathers or cuts are made with these two points in mind. The length wise grain runs vertically, and the crosswise grain runs horizontally. Generally, the lengthwise grain runs from the base of the neck to the hem and on the sleeves from the shoulder to the cuff. The center front and back also run vertically along the lengthwise grain. Straight grain line is important to the finished look of the garment. A garment that is cut off grain may not hang evenly and may look distorted.

To check perfect grain in woven, clip it into selvage near the end and pull a crosswise thread over entire width of fabric. Cut along drawn thread. Fold the fabric length wise, matching selvages, and smooth out on a flat surface. If straightened raw edges match, fabric is on the grain and ready to use.

To check the perfect grain in knits and other fabrics with hard-to-find grain lines. If a crosswise thread cannot be pulled to find the true crosswise grain, open up the fabric and lay it so that one of the selvages follows the straight edge of the table. The true crosswise grain can be established by a T-square or yardstick laid at right angles to the table edge. A basting line following this straight edge will mark the crosswise line. Other possibilities are to follow the wale or course of a knit, or a woven-in or knit-in design line to find both the lengthwise and crosswise grains.