Cari-in-Oly

Isn't that one of those things they used to measure fabric with at the cutting table?

Cari

M.Elizabeth

[QUOTE=Cari
I agree with your guess! They were in use when I was much younger.

Stitchnripper

I remember those too. When we went to the "Material store" and yardage was 36" wide. When did we start calling it fabric?

bkay

The ones they had at the J.C. Penny down in the shopping center had a "cutter" on them. They would pull the "material" through the measuring device then hit a lever. It put about a 1" nick in the "material" at the measured spot, then they would rip it the rest of the way (if it was cotton). If it was wool or some other non-rippable material, they used scissors.

I bought some fabric at an outlet a while back and an old lady about 90 cut my fabric for me. After the second cut, she just starting ripping. It was the first time in years I'd seen that.

bkay

cashs_mom

My mother always called it "material". I don't know when it changed to fabric. I do remember those little machines to measure the fabric. It always fascinated me watching them run it thru.

minibarn

I have never seen one of those measuring things, how neat.

Personally, when talking about garments I say material ( as in "I need some new dress material") but when talking about quilts I say fabric (as in "I need some new quilt fabric. No, I don't have enough already", lol).

OurWorkbench

I thought a "Measuregraph Counter" would be fun to have. I remember going to Penney's when I was a kid with my mother and going downstairs to the "Yard Goods" department, which of course had a couple of those. Surprisingly, the building is still there. It is now a Goodwill. It still has the same stairway with large wooden banisters.

I remember looking on craigslist for a certain kind of 'material' for something and when did a search - only got building materials, not anything that could be sewn.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

leonf

When I was a kid a big city pleasure of mine was to go to the yard goods department and (with permission) push the button on the back that would reset the counter with a great whirr sound.

tscweaves

Oh my, you have all brought back memories for me. Penney's and Goldblatt's had huge sewing departments and they had a number of cutting tables with those machines. I have not thought of that in years.

Jane Quilter

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