Originally Posted by
citruscountyquilter
When I was growing up and woven fabric was generally all that was available it was always ripped. Remember the little machines on the edge of the counter at the store that the clerk ran the edge of the fabric through to measure it and then when they got to the correct measurement pushed down the lever which snipped the edge of the fabric so they could then rip it?
Yes! I was small, but I remember going with my grandma to places that had that. It was called "material", though, not "fabric"! Other stores just snipped with scissors and ripped across.
I want to say I remember fabric being sold at places like JC Penney too, but I'm not sure if that's right. Some kind of department store in So. Cal in the late 70's/early 80's, anyway...