Fabric grain also affects the way fabric will hang and drape. It’s easy to figure out where the grain in a fabric is. To figure out where the grain is, pull your fabric in several directions. The direction with hardly any stretch is the direction of the grain. You should also know how to tell the grain in fabrics because many sewing patterns reference them. It’s not uncommon to be given a direction like “cut against the grain”. If you make a mistake and sew along the bias or against the grain, then you could find your fabric starts to pucker in places. It may also start to stretch in areas that shouldn’t stretch. The grain lines are also among the strongest threads in the fabric. There are three types of fabric grain.
Types of Fabric Grain
Lengthwise grain refers to the threads in a fabric which run the length of the fabric, parallel to the selvage of the fabric. Crosswise grain is the threads that run perpendicular to the selvage of the fabric or the cut edge of the fabric as it comes off the bolt. Bias grain is the thread line that is at a forty-five-degree angle to the lengthwise and crosswise grain of the fabric as it is on the bolt. The bias has stretch in woven fabric and will hang differently than a garment that has been cut on the straight or crosswise grain.
Woven Fabric
When you are working with woven fabric, the lengthwise and crosswise grain will not have any stretch. Depending on the tightness of the weave the fabric may have “give” but it will not stretch. The bias grain will stretch, making the bias grain perfect for couture areas such as covering cording to create your own piping. Since the bias grain does react differently than the lengthwise or crosswise grain, it may require special handling. For example, a skirt cut on the bias grain must hang for 24 hours before you attempt to hem it.
Knit Fabric
Although knit fabric is constructed differently than woven fabric, fabric grain is characterized the same way it is for woven fabric. Always read the back of a pattern envelope that is designed for knits and test the stretchability of the fabric with the information on the pattern envelope.
