I always look to make sure that it is printed "straight enough" to suit be before I'll buy it.

WalMart cuts on the dotted line for panels - one side at a time. And charges by the panel.

i've never seen that. i'll have to look for it. live and learn. thanks, big.

my joann chops it right off wherever it lands. you can figure out what you need but if the piece in front of yours was part of a panel, you have to take that to get a whole one. i end up walking away. their loss.

That happened to me at a JoAnn's too - that was several years go -

I really don't get why that do that. It seems so - polite language fails me - customer unfriendly.

poor training, sales people who don't care, both because of low pay.

When I was getting ready to buy the fabric for my "Danbury" quilt, I spent a couple of hours calculating how much it would take to make all the blocks I want and the borders and the binding. Then, when I was absolutely sure that was how much I needed, I ordered a quarter yard MORE of each one, just to be sure.

you have to approach all sewing with a cya mentality, don't you? :cry:

i always buy extra an that is usually at least three yrds an if i really like it as much as my pocket book can spare that day

I also don't buy anything less than three yards. Gotta love it though.

I never would by exactly what I need. I also never buy in quarters, with the exception of FQs. I always try to buy in at least 1/2 yard increments. That way I know I'll have enough if the fabric is crooked. It's nice to get a little extra, but I don't expect it. If the fabric is cut crooked on one end, I don't mind as long as it's measured from the short side. It's not the shop's fault if it's crooked. As a buyer, I feel that it is my responsibility to look it over before I purchase it. It's especially important for me to buy a bit extra as I do buy a lot of my fabric online. There just isn't much variety locally. Hours are a problem too, as only Joann's is open in the evening and on Sunday.

The worse piece I ever bought was a children's print which was a strip border print with dogs on it. It was so crooked I had to cut with scissors! The quilt came out fine, but it took forever to cut those pieces! LOL This was not a cheap fabric either, it's was over $8/yd.

Please bear in mind that I have worked in quilt shops a long time and totally support that kind of business...

I would expect a quilt shop to take full responsibility for accurate measurements. It's just like any other business. How would you feel if the butcher or gas station or electric company shorted you "just a little bit"? What if the beef roast you bought had an unusual amount of fat or bone that left you with less usable meat? Would you see it as the buyer's responsibility to buy extra in order to compensate? I would probably take my business elsewhere.

We are strongly encouraged to support our local quilt store, and I heartily endorse that idea, but I also believe that they need to be professional in their business operations and make it worthwhile for us to spend our money there. If I am paying for 9" of fabric, I expect to get 9" of usable fabric. If I am buying 5 yards of fabric, I expect to get 180" of usable fabric.