I also remember those meters. My first recollection is shopping for material with my mother. She would spend what seemed like hours looking at fabric. I would spend my time with my brother sitting on bolts and playing hide and seek under and around all the fabric. She mostly shopped at Montgomery Wards, but she also shopped at Penneys, Ben Franklins and Woolworths. She was an excellent seemstress. I wish I would have taken a liking to sewing myself way back when.

We also had one called Cornets where you could get fabric. I do remember those machines!

I used those meters when I worked in the fabric dept of a big downtown department store in 1965. If I remember correctly I think bolts of fabric back then were only 36" wide?

OMG, I had completely forgotten about the measuring meter. Boy, does that bring back memories!! Ahhh...the good old days☺

We had a store called Adrian's in the town where I grew up in Mass. All kinds of fabrics. I also remember getting fabric at Zayre's (like a K-mart).

When I was in college there was a fabric store that was all overstock, etc. It was a mess but if you could find what you wanted the price was right. They specialized in seconds of Vera fabric and linens (the ones with the big flowers). This was back in the 1970's.

That's funny!! My Mom called M.W. Monkey Wards also. In fact, she probably still does.......

"Thanks for the Memories" Bob Hope

I have copies of the 1963 and 1964 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalogs, but there isn’t any mention of fabric shown in either of them. Chances are pretty good, that even if Ward’s had tons of fabric back then, omitting it from the Christmas Catalog was probably intended. Ladies back then were probably much more interested in the CLOTHING for a Christmas present than fabric to make their own. LOL!

In an old Sears Summer Catalog from 1964, Sailcloth & Pique (all-cotton stretch fabric) was 97 cents per yard, Denim was $1.22, Duck was 74 cents, Poplin was 46 cents (39 cents, for 10 yards or more), and Knit-Look (non stretch) was 66 cents. All of them were 36-37 inches wide. The 42 inch wide Denim was 92 cents per yard, and the 44-inch Seersucker was 88 cents for the plain stripes and $1.13 for the prints. Dan River Bone-tones were 93 cents for the 36” wide. The 35” wide Ginghams were 58 cents per yard.

The 36” wide all-cotton Oxford Prints & Solids were 66 cents per yard, and the 36” wide 124-thread per square inch Percale Prints & Solids (closest thing to today’s Quilting Fabric?) was a thrifty 29 cents per yard (27 cents for any 10 yards or more).

CD in Oklahoma

When I was real young my mother bought all her fabric at a shop call Mettmans(?) in Northside in Cincinnati. We could walk to the store. Later I bought fabric and yarn at Woolworth's Newberry's, Kresges, and Grants in Cincinnati. Later, all the Singer stores had fabric and so did Sears and all the department stores. Then fabric stores came in like Piece Goods, Hancocks, and JoAnns and department stores closed their fabric departments. I also remember the Western Auto and Checkers Stores, I loved going to those stores with my father.

Our Penny's also had a mezzanine. I bought a lot of fabric there and at Perry's 5 & dime. We also had a Winn's Store which is now Hobby Lobby. I remember the little money thingys. They were so cool. Oh the good old days. I made most of my things because I was in HS and wanted to look like Twiggy. My dad would not allow really short skirts but where there's a will there's a way.