Fabric is only one kind of material. There is also wood, brick, insulation. Those are all material (for building-- can you tell I am married to a former contractor?) There is also landscaping material, roofing material, get it? Material is what you use to do a job, but it's not always fabric. Fabric, however, always means fabric. I never ask for material, as it's too general a term. If I mean fabric, I say fabric.

My MIL asked my husband to pick up something from the dry goods section of a store and he didn't know what she was talking about. That goes back even farther than material/fabric!

ditto that big time.

Material sounds like a thing and fabric sounds like something that is rich and inviting that makes you want to make something out of it :)

I guess I call it fabric because I go to the Fabric Shop, not the Material Shop!!

Very good explanation!!!

I used to say material but changed to fabric just because it's quicker & I always have alot to say about fabric......

Oh, Lord, my ex used to say, " did you buy more cloth today/what cloth are you using in that quilt?" Like nails on a blackboard to me!!

FABRIC for Pete's sake.....never *could* get that through to him, poor guy. :lol:

Jan in VA

I like that....me too.

Well, I will say I used to call it DRY GOODS DEPARTMENT. That was back in the days of T.G.&Y. and wooden floors in the store.