They are just stingy....I watch the lady cutting my fabric yesterday...I was just getting 1/8 of a yard (had to get 12 colors for owl wings so didn't need much) but still she wasn't going an inch over..if anything by the time she got to the top of material it got smaller....when I had my shop years ago I always allowed 2 or 3 in case It wasn't cut straight...it can make a difference in quilting every 1/4 inch matters sometimes!