Grain or Bias

Recently in our pattern cutting lessons we have made a dress block, from this we have been able to create closing fitting dresses with a 'V' neck and zip in the back.

The first dress that we made was cut on the grain line. This meant that the dress fitted the body well and showed off the curves of the body. Also the bottom hangs straight and creates an elegant look.

The second dress that we made was cut on the bias line. This was a lot harder than the first one as the fabric has more stretch therefore the is harder to sew on the machines.

The main difference between cutting on the grain line and cutting on the bias line is how the fabric hangs. As you can see from the pictures the one cut on the grain line hangs straight and the one cut on the bias doesn't. Another difference is the way that the zip sits; on the first dress which was cut on the grain line the zip fits well but on the second dress which was cut on the bias the dress doesn't fit well therefore if I was to make a dress on the bias line in the future I would incorporate the zip into the side seam rather than in the back.