I remember the fabric store being for fabric for garments. Patterns were affordable and we could make our clothes cheaper than buy them. Quilts were made from the scraps. May have purchased something large enough for a back but that seems iffy, too. The idea of buying yardage to make a quilt would have seemed extravagant. Well, maybe it still is if we consider that a quilt is intended for warmth and a person can buy a blanket a lot cheaper! We are no longer a frugal generation. Those of us raised post-war knew what it was like to make do with what we had and didn't throw away much. I remember my eyes burning at one independent fabric store and thought it was amazing the amount of fabric there. Do you remember that gizmo that some shops had?--attached to the countertop and the fabric was pulled through it to determine how much there was, it clipped the edge and then the fabric was torn. The one I remember was at JC Penny, back when that store was for the everyday consumer.