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Member since 11/8/18
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Posted on: 5/21/20 8:08 PM ET
Curious....since sometimes I can't tell...when fabric is shipped to you, is folded with the right side out?
  
Member since 11/14/11
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Posted on: 5/21/20 8:10 PM ET
Yes... think when you're buying at a fabric store - you want to be able to see the design, etc. on the outside, so it's usually right side out.
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Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 5/21/20 8:20 PM ET
In reply to SyndiMC
Depends. Wools are typically folded with the right side to the inside of the fold; cottons the other way around. If you find any mends in the fabric, they're generally done so the bumpiness is on the wrong side.

If you can't tell, pick the side you like, and make some big obvious marks on the wrong side with chalk or the like so you can tell during construction.


  
Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 5/21/20 8:32 PM ET
Thought you might be interested in seeing how fabric is bolted with a hand-crank bolting machine (he's doing a nice job!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbKh0vnYSnc (be sure to watch from about 2:19 to 2:29 for a surprise!).

And here's someone with a more automated bolter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyp87gKmYCs

As you can see, the fabric right side or wrong side out only depends on which way the machine is loaded... which can vary depending on who's running the bolter that day.
  
Member since 11/8/18
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Posted on: 5/21/20 8:41 PM ET
In reply to kayl
Well that was entertaining! I have heard "pick a side- you paid for both!" Yes, I do chalk all my pieces to be sure I'm using the same side throughout....but it just drives me crazy sometimes trying to figure it out. Isn't there something to do with the pin holes on the selvedge? I thought I read that somewhere.
  
Member since 4/4/07
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Posted on: 5/21/20 8:51 PM ET
In reply to kayl
That was really interesting. So can you answer the question, "Why is fabric sold bolted in the U.S., but not in some other countries, such as Australia and Hong Kong?" It didn't seem like either of those videos were filmed in the U.S. . . . and, when you order online, it might not have been bolted at the source, so it could have been folded any old way, couldn't it have?
-- Edited on 5/21/20 at 8:53 PM --
  
Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 5/21/20 8:51 PM ET
In reply to SyndiMC
The tenter holes in the selvage will tell you the right answer half of the time. I've pawed through bolts of, say, "quilt prints" from different makers... one maker may have bumps to the right side, another to the wrong side. 'Nuff to make you think "the system" is whatever happens that day...
  
Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 5/21/20 9:05 PM ET
In reply to Tanager
Bolts are easier to handle than rolls in small shops... and most of the shops when I was a kid were small, usually run by little old ladies.

Most home sewing fabrics other than prints deliberately made for that market, like "conversation prints", are stuff made for garment manufacturing. We get the leftovers, and here, it's customary to transfer from roll to bolt. I prefer to buy my fabrics from rolls, so I don't have to deal with that blankety-blank center crease.
  
Member since 4/8/08
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Posted on: 5/21/20 9:08 PM ET
And then, of course, there are the retailers who "share" bolts within a geographic area. I worked in a fabric store at one time and we were the central receiving store for our area. We often got full bolts that we then "split" for the other 2 stores in our area. Quite often the original came on a roll single layer and when split we would fold in half and roll onto a board. What side was inside depended on who was working that day - there was no store policy.


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Sheila
"sewing very slowly to fill an empty closet"
Stash Tally: net +46.375 yds (2014 to 2020); net +48.0 (2021); net +57.125 (2022); net +109.875 (2023)- Stash Tally 2024: 77.5 yds out/90.375 yds in (net + 12.875 yds)

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Member since 4/6/16
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Posted on: 5/22/20 5:13 AM ET
In reply to kayl
I was curious about the triangular fold in the fabric when he started the set up process. The hand cranking requires more skill.
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