I've noticed that as time goes on, fabrics are not often 44"/45" wide anymore. Many of the fabrics I buy (major brands from LQS) are now about 40"/42" wide - not to mention what you lose with even wider selvedges than ever. I have not seen any recent patterns that reflect these changes and wonder when (if) the pattern makers will take this into consideration. It's not usually a problem for me as I always buy more than I need for a project to allow for shrinkage and just in case I need a bit more. I'm sure the people that are new to quilting are not going to realize this though.
Do you think the pattern makers will catch up with the fabric industry and start adjusting their patterns accordingly?