Prewashing fabric and finding the grain
Wash fabric the way you will wash the finished item, then straighten the grain before cutting. Two dull steps that stop clothes shrinking and twisting.
Pinny's tip
Pin a note on washed fabric saying "washed" and the date. Six months later you will not remember.
Pin a note on washed fabric saying "washed" and the date. Six months later you will not remember.
What you'll need
- Your fabric: and its care details from the shop.
- Zigzag or pinking shears: to stop cut ends fraying in the wash.
- Iron: to press before cutting.
- A long ruler or the table edge: to check right angles.
Step by step
- Note the fibre and care instructions when you buy. Photograph the bolt end.
- Finish the two cut ends with zigzag, or sew a line about 0.4 in (1 cm) in, so they do not fray in the wash.
- Wash and dry the fabric exactly as you will the finished item. If it will go in the tumble dryer, the fabric must too.
- Wash dark or bright colours alone the first time.
- Find the straight cross-grain: snip into the selvedge and tear (for cottons) or pull a single thread across and cut along the line it leaves.
- Fold selvedge to selvedge. If the ends do not line up, the grain is skewed: pull firmly on the bias (diagonally) from the short corners, then check again. Damp fabric is easier to correct.
- Press along the grain, then lay out your pattern with its grainline arrow parallel to the selvedge.
Watch
HOW TO FIX THE GRAIN OF FABRIC AFTER PRE-WASHING? (when the edges of the fabric no longer line up) (14:19)
By Evelyn Wood · Open on YouTube
Chosen from its title and channel: a 14-minute video from Evelyn Wood on the same topic as this guide. Embedded from YouTube with credit; we don't host it. It only loads when you press play.
The three grains
- Lengthwise grain runs parallel to the selvedge and barely stretches. Most pattern pieces line up with it.
- Cross-grain runs across, selvedge to selvedge, with a little more give.
- Bias runs at 45 degrees and stretches the most, even on woven fabric.
Sewing.org also suggests preshrinking zips, linings and interfacing, not just the main fabric.
Watch it done
- HOW TO FIX THE GRAIN OF FABRIC AFTER PRE-WASHING? (when the edges of the fabric no longer line up) by Evelyn Wood on YouTube. Opens on YouTube; the video belongs to its creator.
Sources
All checked November 1, 2026. We read these; we did not test the products ourselves.
- Ourlette: prewashing fabric
- Threads magazine: prepare fabric properly
- Sewing.org: straightening the fabric grain (PDF)
- Sewing.org: preparing to sew (PDF)
- Kokka Fabrics: guide to prewashing
- YouTube: HOW TO FIX THE GRAIN OF FABRIC AFTER PRE-WASHING? (when the edges of the fabric no longer line up) (Evelyn Wood)