I am not a very good girl, I'm afraid. :tongue2: I thought I'd make this thread for people like me to ask the rest of you stupid questions that females are already supposed to know the answer to but we don't.

So my first question is:

What does it means when someone says their skirt is "cut on the bias"? I read that all the time in chick lit books and it drives me crazy because I can't figure out why someone would know or care about that and why the author thinks it's important to say.

I gotta remember way back to my 4-H days for this. Hopefully this will make sense.

When fabric is woven all the threads run at 90 degree angles to one another, like this "+"

Instead of cutting the fabric so that the cross lines are parallel to the floor and the up and down lines are perpendicular to the floor, cutting on the bias means that the are turned 45 degrees before cutting. So instead of the threads running like this: "+" on your body, the threads are like this "X" or this "^" on your body. It allows the fabric to drape better, and is so much more flattering and softer looking.

(Some of that 10 years in 4-H comes in handy sometimes. I still haven't figured out the usefulness of any skills I learned from showing those steers and pigs. Yeah, I was the farmer's daughter.)

I am not a very good girl, I'm afraid. I thought I'd make this thread for people like me to ask the rest of you stupid questions that females are already supposed to know the answer to but we don't.

So my first question is:

What does it means when someone says their skirt is "cut on the bias"? I read that all the time in chick lit books and it drives me crazy because I can't figure out why someone would know or care about that and why the author thinks it's important to say.

Cloth is woven with vertical threads (warp) and a horizon thread that goes over/under it (woof or weft). Normally when you cut fabric to make clothes, you align the pieces so that the warp runs top to bottom on the piece. "Cut on the bias" means that you align the pieces diagonally on the cloth, so that the warp and woof make a cross and the top/bottom line runs through diagonally through it. Usually only skirts or the bottom sections of dresses will use this cut, and it makes the skirt flare out more and twirl better. It is sometimes used on a tartan top to give that diamond crosshatching look.

How wow - I am SO not girly and I flunked sewing in Home Ec in Year 8 and never took it up again, but I must have learned SOMETHING in the few classes where I wasn't sent outside to sit on the bench! My mother would be so proud!

*edits*

Oh pooh! I was so excited at knowing the answer to a girly question, that I didn't read down and see that someone had already answered it :Dancing_wub:

Edited June 7, 200818 yr by Fanny Adams

Okay, so how would you know that some skirt you were trying on in the store was cut on the bias? They don't put that on the tag as far as I know.

Don't feel bad, I would have no idea when shopping for clothing and get so screwed up when sewing anything with a pattern, I still have to figure out what "selvage" is. I went to an all girl prep school and home ec was not an option!

I had no idea what that meant either!

to me cut on the bias is cut on an angle. so if someone says there skirt or dress is but on the bias is not a straight hem

Okay, so how would you know that some skirt you were trying on in the store was cut on the bias? They don't put that on the tag as far as I know.

Just look at the weave of the cloth and how it falls. If the cloth runs like this, when the garment is held up straight:

++++++++

++++++++

then it was cut normally. If it runs like this:

xxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxx

then it was cut on the bias.

Selvedges are "self-edges" - the natural left and right edges of the cloth, which doesn't need hemming.

See Fanny,

This is why I married an engineer, he can read me the directions and actually figure them out for me too! When it comes to patterns and such since I never actually took a class in sewing it can become mind blowing to me. I haven't sewn from a pattern since my girls were little but I did always attempt to make their Halloween costumes every year! brandyII

And to quote the Scottish Inn Keeper from Little Britain Fanny, "you know, too much!"

My sewing teacher in high school would be shocked! I spent almost all of the year outside on the "naughty bench" :thumbup:. Same for cooking classes too . My mother is exceptionally crafty though, so I know the lingo - can't sew buttons on but I can tell you all about it, HA!

That's funny Fanny, the "naughty bench" I can't imagine you on the "naughty bench".

Hehehe - mate, that was my home territory . I spent so much time up before the Head Mistress that we became quite good friends by the end of high school and had quite the "Bart and Principal Skinner" relationship going :thumbup:.

I've never heard of any of this stuff lol. Wow I feel dumb.

As someone who has sewed for years making my own clothing. I've learned that not all fabrics hang well cut on the Bias. lol. I have learned to determine the best way for the cloth to hang on me period.

I have learned though that I have gotten more girly as I get older. In some ways and in other ways the oposite!! I enjoy girlie/softer/silky type clothing & jewelry way more then I did when I was younger. I love ruffles & lace and soft drapy fabrics now.

But now I can't stand to spend time primping to go out someplace. a shower, brush & put up the hair and clean clothes and I'm ready to go lol. but when I was in my 20's I would spend a hour on makeup/jewelry which I won't do now.

Lots of girlie stuff looks too fussy on me. I look like a little kid dressed up their mom's clothing or I look like a wedding cake.

I do spend more time on my appearance though. I actually put product in my hair and sometimes I even blow dry it.

I still think of makeup as being a stage thing though. I wear it when I am in a skating competition (i.e., on stage) and a really fancy dress-up party which I tend to approach mentally as if they are a costume drama and not real life.

MacM,

You crack me up:lol: