To tell the girl in the fabric shop not to rip the fabric?

[NCForNow]

Instead of cutting it? I hate it when they do that! The edge of the fabric curls...especially if it's not cotton as mine was not today...it pulls down the warp and weft of it somehow and strains it.

Today in the fabric shop in town, I was buying four metres of 4 different fabrics. She took the first roll, measured it and then rrrrrriiiiiiiiiiipppp!

So I said politely "Would you mind not tearing them please? I'd rather they were cut as the amount I am buying is already tight for the project I have in mind"

And she said "It'll fray anyway...and I'm not very good at cutting so it might not be straight" in a warning kind of voice.

So I said, well as long as I have a fully useable metre I don't mind.

As I went upstairs to the next section, I could feel ALL the eyes of the girls who work there boring into my back.

WIBU?

'not good at cutting'? All it takes is a ruler and a rotary cutter, it's not hard!

YANBU.

I can't remember the last time I bought fabric, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about, but....if as the assistant said, it would fray anyway, why don't they use pinking shears? Sure they used to.

And I really would have thought that someone in a fabric shop should be able to cut fabric straight!

nope. what does it matter to her if you ask her to cut or rip. The material is separated from the roll and sold, that is all she needs to care about.

I almost suggested pinking shears reluctant but thought I was already being a high needs customer!

And yes...she SHOULD be able to cut straight! The older woman in that shop always cuts with a normal scissor....

Well I don't know jenner...but it SHOULD matter as ripping it is shit!

YANBU.

I agree with you about it pulling the fabric. I think it depends where you go though. The two places I go to always cut and never rip. They also always measure out more than you ask for to account for the uneven cutting.

Pinking shears would be a much better idea.

Jenner - the customer is always right. It's irrelevant whether the girl 'cared' about the fabric or not, she should have cared about her customer service or she might find that she is losing customers.

I think Jenner is agreeing with the OP

FWIW I believe the reason for ripping fabric is so that you get a cut which is exactly along the grain of the fabric: so you can ensure your pattern pieces are aligned correctly before you cut them.

I've seen many dressmaking instructions which describe squaring off the ends like this to ensure the resulting drape of the piece is correct.

I think that was what she was trying to say: that she couldn't guarantee that her cut would be 'square'.

YANBU. If they can't cut straight then they should account for that by giving you extra.

NC and Folk - maybe I didn't write that very well. I was saying the girl in the shop doesn't need to have a preference for rip or cut - all she needs to know is what you the customer wants and that should be enough of a reason to do it the way you ask. So she should not be making you feel awkward for asking for it to be cut instead. Is what I was trying to say. :)

YANBU

i know what Jenner meant - it matters to the customer, not to the girl - if she's asked to cut not rip, then that's what she should do.

Jenner, in that case I completely agree with you!!

splendid

I've seen both cutting and ripping - and also a third way somewhat between them both! The cutter starts the cut with the scissors and then holding the scissors and pushes them through the fabric while holding them half open - if done while holding the fabric taut it can be much quicker than cutting and straighter. However she should have done it how you want it - bad customer service!

On a related tangent, I bought some cotton on Saturday and although the girl cut it for me rather than ripping it, it was the most uneven cut I've ever seen.

She unrolled it in the wrong direction so was awkwardly trying to hold the roll from falling off the table.

She measured as she went rather than unrolling lots and measuring my 2 metres out of the unrolled fabric.

The cut end was actually zigzag.

I checked it at home and discovered she gave me 2.5 metres but I only wanted 2! (she only charged me for 2 though). I hope someone in the shop shows her the right way soon, she must have been new - otherwise she will lose them a fortune.

This was plain fabric...no pattern. I just think ripping does affect the fabric...especially in non cotton.

YANBU. :)

I hate people who rip fabric and I come at it from the other side. For every customer who insists on ripping it I get one who complains at the state of the end of the bail. We provide scissors and a recessed cutting guide, so you should never be cut it wonky anyway.

That's slightly off tangent anyway - if you wanted her to cut then she should just cut, but I have to admit if I was asked to do something I didn't normally do I'd warn the customer first damned if you do, damned if you don't .She shouldn't make you feel bad about it though.

YANBU I find the sound of tearing fabric goes right through me, the same as some people can stand the sound of chalk on a blackboard. So if I see the seller about to tear the fabric I tell them I can't stand the sound and they always cut with scissors instead.

I was getting all nostalgic about pinking sheers when Mrs frightened me with talk of recessed cutting guides and whatnot.

YABU but only because I love the sound of ripping fabric!

It's just a groove in the cutting desk that you put the scissors in that makes it impossible to cut anything other than a straight line. We're mean and make customers cut their own, so we try and make it easy.

That sounds even more frightening