The Importance of Cutting Accurately on the Grain

Have you ever bought a pair of jeans that didn't seem to sit quite right? I recently bought a pair of jeans from Jeans West, hemmed them so I wasn't walking on them (why do they always make jeans so looooong?), and then realised that the left leg wasn't cut on the grain. They kept twisting around so that the inseam was almost running down the centre of my leg (not that it looks that bad in these photos, I put them on 5 minutes before I took them back, just to take photos).

Wow, my hips look huge in this photo!
And the coin pocket is sticking out!

I debated with myself whether to take them back or not, but, let's face it, that left leg wasn't comfortable to wear, and no-one wants their inseam down the front of their leg, least of all a seamstress. I decided to wear them into a store when I was already in a shopping centre to buy groceries, and without hesitation the shop assistant asked if I would like another pair put aside for me to swap when I was able to come back. I tried the new pair on just to make absolutely sure that this pair wasn't going to have the same problem.

New jeans!

Why did I hesitate to take them back you ask? Well, the main reason was that I would have to hem a second pair before I could wear them again! In future I probably just need to take more notice when I buy jeans in the first place. Yes, it's hard to tell if there's going to be a problem when the jeans are so long that you're treading on the hem, but you'd think in my line of work that I'd notice these things! I have been known to reject clothing based on other sewing faults!