What memories! Mother bought and/or ordered from Penney's, Sears and Wards for many, many years. I'm finding some at her house that is priced well below $1 a yard, but I'm not sure what year she got them. Most seems to hold up well except the black. It will almost fall apart in your hands when you touch it.
I used to buy a lot at TG&Y (especially in the 70's), and they would have some really great prices, but not that low.
I'd forgotten about the little machine that did the measuring - thanks for the memory.