One of the important things I learned in one of my first quilting classes was how to square up fabric to get straight strips and pieces on grain.

Step one is to press out any creases because how fabric is wound on the bolt is NOT necessarily straight.

Next, hold the fabric from the selvedges (as if you were folding a sheet) and let it hang in a U shape, each hand holding two corners. This is harder to do with pieces larger than a yard or two. Just hold part of the fabric out in one hand and bunch up the rest in the other to be straightened later.

Notice whether the fabric hangs straight down or seems to "lean" to one side or the other. To see this even better, purposely move the two ends apart sideways (misalign) by a couple of inches and see what the fabric does. You will be surprised as how much skew will occur.

Move the ends of the fabric back and forth laterally and find the place where the fabric hangs straight down without any ripples or distortions. This is the straight alignment for this piece of fabric.

Carefully move your fabric from upright to a cutting mat. You could pin your fabric together while you are holding it to preserve the correct alignment if this moving from vertical to horizontal feels awkward.

Finally, square off the end of the fabric so that you have a raw edge is straight and square. Now you may cut fabric to your heart's content knowing that whatever size piece or strip you cut, it will be straight and true.

Donna Fisher