What Happens if You Ignore the Grain When Cutting Fabric?
On every sewing pattern out there you’ll see this long, straight arrow with the word ‘grainline.’ When I first started sewing, I had no idea what that meant. So what did I do? I completely ignored it! No wonder my early dresses always seemed to hang kind of crooked. But I have since taken some sewing courses, and I know how big of a mistake that was.
Cutting fabric with the grain helps to give your clothes the structure they need and keeps the seams from twisting and puckering as you wear your clothes. It’s one of the most important things to get right about cutting out fabric pattern pieces, but once you understand the concept, your final garments will instantly improve.
Some patterns will instruct you to cut some of the pattern pieces on the bias (which is the diagonal grain). There are also some occasions where ignoring the grainline isn’t as big a deal, but it’s important to learn what the rules are and why you’re following them before breaking them.
What is the grainline?
As someone who is a self-taught sewist, grainline is one of those things that I ignored for a very long time. I didn’t know what it was, and I didn’t know what kind of difference it made. Of course, I’ve since learned that following the grainline will give you garments that are neater and more professional looking overall.
The lengthwise grain is what is referred to when patterns have that arrow labeled grainline. You will always line up that arrow along the length of your bolt of fabric. This is the direction of the yarns (threads) along the length of the fabric, parallel to the selvages. The lengthwise grain is the sturdiest and most structured direction of the fabric.
- Lengthwise grainline (also called the straight grain). When people use the term “grainline” this is what they mean. It goes along the length of the fabric, parallel to the selvages. That arrow on your pattern pieces should follow the lengthwise grain.
- Crosswise grainline. This is the line of threads that goes across the width of the fabric, perpendicular to the selvage edges. While not as sturdy as the lengthwise grain, it’s also structured. You’ll often see waistbands, collars, and cuffs cut crosswise on the grain.
- Bias grainline. The bias grain is the diagonal between the lengthwise and crosswise grains. It’s the most difficult to work with since fabric has some give (or stretch) in this direction. Patterns where you see the grainline looks like it is diagonal on the piece are cut on the bias grain. It gives the garment more of a flowy drape.
Cutting pattern pieces on the grainline
When placing your pattern pieces on the fabric and cutting them out, you always want to make sure the labeled line on your pattern pieces is exactly parallel to the selvage edge of the fabric. You want to get this as exact as possible, so use a ruler.
- Line up the ruler with the edge of the fabric.
- Make the line parallel to the edge, and note how far away the grainline is.
- Double-check that your line is straight by moving the ruler down and making sure the distance to the grainline is the same.
You’ll need to repeat this process with every piece of your pattern. It’s especially important to be exact if you’re working with patterns and stripes that will be really obvious if it’s even a little off-grain.
What happens when you ignore the grainline?
So, I’ve told you that learning how to use the grainline helped me upgrade my sewing skills, but how exactly does it work? The rule of cutting patterns according to the grainline seemed so arbitrary. But there are plenty of reasons why we do this and why it’s a marking on every single pattern you will ever purchase.
These are some of the mishaps that can happen if you decide to ignore the grainline while cutting out your sewing pattern pieces:
- The garment’s seams will twist. If you sew two pattern pieces together that were not cut according to the grainline, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with seams that twist while you’re wearing the garment. This is because the two pieces of fabric want to hang on your body differently, and there is an uneven drape.
- The garment won’t drape as intended by the pattern. Some patterns are meant to be more structured while some have a more flowy drape. The way you cut the fabric according to the structured lengthwise grain or the less structured bias grain will affect this significantly, so your end garment will look and hang differently than intended if you don’t follow the grainline on your pattern.
- The fabric edges will stretch and warp more easily during construction. Any edge that’s not cut along the straight or crosswise grain is more delicate and prone to stretching when you handle it. You may find that your fabric stretches out enough to give you mismatched edges, with one side being longer than the other. (This is why we staystitch necklines and armholes)
- Patterned and striped fabric will look askew. Stipes, plaid, or any other type of printed fabric will look crooked and wrong if you are not precise with your grainline while cutting.
- Knit fabric will not stretch in the right direction. Many types of knit fabric will only stretch across the grain of the fabric. If you ignore the grainline, you’ll find that your garments don’t stretch enough to fit.
Is it okay to cut a pattern on the crosswise grain instead of the lengthwise grainline?
Both the lengthwise and crosswise grainlines are fairly structured. In most cases, they’re interchangeable. If you want to cut something on the crosswise grain instead of the lengthwise grain, your final garment will still end up okay as long as all of your pattern pieces are cut the same way.
When can you ignore the grainline anyway?
Despite everything I just told you, there are some occasions when following the grainline is less important than others. Mainly this is when you’re making some non-clothing items that have extra structure and are sewn in place. You don’t have to worry if the drape is off because the items don’t drape anyway.
Sometimes you can ignore the grainline in these scenarios (it’s still usually best to follow it anyway, but there’s more wiggle room):
- When you’re making something other than clothing (bag, hat, etc)
- When you’ll be adding interfacing anyway (for example, I’m a little less careful with the grainline when cutting facings)
- When the pattern tells you to (if the pattern tells you to cut on the bias or crosswise grain)
- When you just want to experiment and see what happens (there’s no better way to learn than to experiment with the grainline yourself and see what happens)
