Sometimes it's just about lining up stripes

I just finished up a project for a designer & home decorator I've done some work with in the past and she's now redoing her house and loves pillows, loves them. She dropped off 3 yards of a silky, flannel backed, ribbon striped fabric and 4 pillow inserts a few weeks ago with very specific instructions of which stripes she wanted horizontal and which were to be vertical and how far from the top seam she wanted the stripes to start.


Looking at the fabric, I noticed the stripes were in two different widths. Lining up stripes going in one direction can be challenging, lining up stripes of different widths going in two opposite directions is a whole different kind of challenge. After flipping the fabric back and forth a few times, I realized the vertical stripes would match and the horizontal ones would not or vice versa. I decided to match the vertical stripes width to width.

 
I wasn't crazy about the way the horizontal stripes were matching up. I decided that lining up the outside edge of each stripe would be my best bet at a "continuous line" through the side seam.

My mom is now a quilter but as I was growing up made many of my outfits. Thinking back, most of my wardrobe consisted of plaids and stripes in all kinds of colors. I remember her and a good friend talking about how you could tell if something is hand crafted or mass produced -- look to see if the stripes and plaids line up. I don't know if that is fact, it came from two moms talking about fabric while they watched their kids in a sandbox. True statement or not, it's what I think about every time I'm lining up stripes or plaids or both. I guess that's where my obsession comes from. Never thought about it until now, thanks Mom!