when you buy fabric, do you expect any extra length?
 

I know I am upset if I am shorted an 1/8 inch on a cut, and pleased to get extra.

When a piece is rotary cut, do ou expect to get the piece " cut to the neaarest thread" - or do you want/ expect " a litle extra"?

I am not aware of any other commodiity - such as meat , gold, gasoline - where we think we are entitled to " exrea"

I don't expect it...I just want what I pay for

Both quilt shops near me cut it exactly to the measurement. That wouldn't bother me except fabric is so often on the bolt crooked that you always have to square it up and loose a bit. I just have come to realize you have to buy a bit extra to get what you need.

I make mostly scrappy quilts so I buy a lot of FQs. Some of them look like a first grader cut them. The LQS all have them neatly folded for display. I've gotten into the habit of unfolding the ones I want and checking them. I get frowns from some shop owners but I always neatly refold them. I do want what I pay for and don't expect extra whether yardage or pre-cuts.

I don't think I'm entitled to extra. I always round up to the nearest yard anyway or buy more than I need because I like the scraps.

I do expect that the yardage I purchase is all useable ( on grain). Some is cut and or wound on the bolt off grain, and I do expect that the person selling should make the adjustment so I get the purchased amount all useable on grain. Understanding that a bolt wound off grain is not the person cutting its fault ... but they(owner/manager) can make the rep for that line know it is a problem.

I buy extra but thats just me. I think of it this way, the shop did not load the fabric on the bolt. The company did that. If the shop owner gives an extra inch with every cut of fabric with 8 to 10 yds on a bolt it will add up. Fabric at 11 dollars a yd is to costly to do that anymore. I just buy extra.

I watch the cutter very closely to make sure it is straight and there are no flaws on the fabric. I only expect what I pay for but it is nice when they give you a little extra. I find a little extra when I order fabric and the exact cut more in shops.

I watch how they lay it out on the table and if the leading edge is not cut straight I bring that to their attention. As other posters have said, I don't expect extra, but I want to be able to use what I've paid for.

The quilt shop owners know exactly how much that extra inch cost them and insist on no extra when cutting. The bigger fabric store employees aren't as particular about cutting to the exact inch. I had one quilt shop owner do the math and made me wait to charge me for 1/2" extra when I wanted a full repeat at the end. I didn't go back to that shop.

When I first started sewing (in the 70's) it was common practice of any establishment that sold fabric to cut a bit extra to make up for the fabric being on the bolt crooked. I can't remember what the common amount was. Maybe an inch to three inches per cut?? As the years went by the fudge factor that fabric stores gave went by the wayside. I remember not sewing for a good 10 to 15 years and was surprised the next time I went to a fabric store and they cut exactly what I asked for with no extra at all. After I got home and washed and refolded I found I would lose up to an inch of fabric when I squared it up. On average it was usually less, but sometimes much more .

I rarely buy fabric from a pattern, so I am usually getting a couple yards of this or that. But if I do buy from a pattern I always get more than I need. Most of the time I am only cutting off a few threads to a fraction of an inch when I square up but I have had a few purchases that were so cattywhompas I lost a couple of inches on a one yard cut.

I don't sweat it. To me it isn't worth the effort or frustration to try and argue with the LQS over a few fractions of an inch of fabric, especially when most of my fabric purchases are done on line. More often than not it is only a few threads. I am now pleasantly surprised if I get extra. I expect to get at least what I want cut but if I lose some in the squaring up I don't get upset (any more)

I don't expect extra fabric but the other day when I purchased 1/2 yard of fabric when I squared it up with the selvage sides one side was 6" short. Will need to go back into town and purchase more fabric. That is not the shops fault it is on the manufacture.

I often notice the shops around here cutting about an inch more - but it is a rare occasion that I find any cut of fabric that is actually straight on both sides, so by the time it's squared up, it's a lot closer to what it should be - I am just fine with that.

yep. make them cut it straight or make a fuss IT IS YOUR MONEY if you don't , so if you like to throw money away then go ahead and let them cut is wrong.. LOL I personally don't have money to waste so I am picky about the way they cut my fabric. most of the ladies here at joann's and walmart know me. I even fold my own fabric if I see them try to fold it any ole way.. Joann's is bad about cutting short and they will fuss if you make them give that extra inch but that's ok, give it to me anyway..

I want to get what I pay for. But a few years ago I was at a well known shop and was buying a lot of fabric - spending well over $100.00 in fabric, not to mention various other items and then one piece of fabric had 3 inches left on the bolt - most times when you buy that much it isn't measured, this was and as she was trying to figure out how much to charge me, I said, I didn't want it after all. She was rather shocked, but I didn't need it and felt it was more trouble than it was worth. (The fabric was not expensive, and the good will it cost has been greater than the 3 inches.) I still go back to the shop but make sure it is measured properly and I do't buy as much as I used to.

I always buy a bit extra because I like the scraps. My LQS cuts it right on the mark, however Joann gives an extra inch.

One of the LQSs in the area used to give their customers 1" for every yard you purchased. Now, they have gone to pre-cuts in 2 yard, 1 yard, 1/2 yard and FQs. The other LQS in this area cuts exactly. Hobby Lobby always gives a little extra, sometimes as much as 4", because they don't start measuring at the edge and they add a couple inches at the end.

I don't expect to be given a generous cut, but I'm more likely to spend more money at stores who make this a practice.

I don't expect more either, but when I notice that they have added a little, I make it a point to thank them, so that they know their generosity is appreciated.

I don't expect extra, but I want what I paid for. I was in a store one day and watched the gal cutting fabric, actually using her fingernail to mark the end of the yard. She slid the fabric and then used her other nail to start the next yard. Absolutely not a thread extra. Not a problem, except as she slid the fabric her thumb slid and she was short about 1 inch. The customer asked her to remeasure and the gal acted as if she was doing the customer a favor. When she got to me, there was less that 2 inches of fabric left on the bolt. She figured the amount extra and said it was going to cost so-and-so extra, no discount or remnant price. I asked if she could give me that amount and she looked at me as if I asked for an entire bolt for free! She said absolutely not! I told her if she would not give me that extra small strip, either at a discount or free, then cut it off. She then told me I HAD to buy it because she was not allowed to cut off a remnant that small. If she could not a discount then Her having a small remnant was not my problem. I asked for her to get the manager. I pointed out that I watched this girl cut several pieces and every cut was crooked, shorting the customer. Told her what my situation was and she said "Go shop somewhere else". So I did. Since this happened, the shop has closed. Apparently strong-arming and intimidating the customer is not as bad as not paying your taxes.

good for your JoAnns. Around here it is either short or crooked. We refer it as the JoAnns cut and I for one always state I don't want a JoAnns cut. Most of the time any LQS will give you an extra 1" to square up and if there is only a couple inches left its free. JoAnns will give money off for the last quarter yard usually 50% and I do take advantage of that offer. Bneighbor unbelievable! That would have been the last time I ever entered her store. We are very lucky in my area for our fabric service. Even with JoAnns (except with coupons, it just depends on who is checking you out). Some honor them and some just do not know what the rules are.

I want what I pay for. as long as they can CUT A STRAIGHT LINE and NOT SHORT ME ON ONE SIDE AND A HALF INCH LONGER ON THE OTHER. Then I want more so I can cut it right. lol

I don't expect it and I usually buy a little extra because it's so rare these days for fabric to be on the bolt straight. I don't fault the LQS owners - I fault the manufacturers. Of course, most of them can't print a straight pattern on fabric to save their lives anymore anyway ...

I've found that almost all of the fabric I order from on-line shops is usually almost perfectly squared up, and normally the shops cut an extra several inches. That is just one of the reasons that I love buying from on-line shops. At LQS and big name fabric shops the cuts are almost always not square, and cut to the exact inch so that squaring them up at home results in a bit less than what I paid for.

I almost always buy extra fabric just in case I make a 'bad' cut myself. I am lucky though because my favorite LQS's do cut a tad extra whenever they do the cutting.

I agree that online shops seem to be better about straight cuts and they tend to be a bit more generous on the measures too. I have a friend who had an online shop and her comment was that it was in her best interests to have the customer happy the first time -- it cost her time and money to deal with returns and re-cutting and reshipping. It's too bad that more brick and mortar stores aren't more aware of how their stingy or poor cutting affects their bottom line -- it's short sighted, and bad business to be so penny pinching over an inch or two of fabric that they lose sales entirely.

If I had a fabric shop, I would make sure that the first cut of the fabric is on grain by tearing the first edge. Then I would measure whatever the customer wanted and just make it a little bit more--in case. When I buy my fabric, I always add 1/4 inch and sometimes 1/2 inch if I'm not going to make the quilt right away. I don't want to take a chance and not be able to get what I need if I make a wrong cut or if by chance the pattern in wrong.

I shop at Keepsake and their cuts are always a bit extra. I thought it maybe was so that you'd have the requested amount after washing. I've always found their customer service to be excellent, though.

hugs,
Charlotte

Some companies state on their websites that they cut with an extra inch or two. Personally when a store is cutting with scissors I will sometimes insist on extra because the cuts are not straight.

I do not expect to receive more than I paid for BUT----I do expect to get what I paid for down to the inch. I hate it when they do not cut evenly, angling off to one end or another----Then you do not get what you paid for

Like someone else said, I don't expect extra, but I do want what I paid for. If it's crooked, please either straighten it or allow enough extra where I can straighten it. :)

That said, I do tend to favor stores that give a smidge extra. Fabric.com gives an extra inch per yard, which is nice. :)

I have to roll my eyes just a little bit when I happen to be buying all but the last few inches of a bolt, and the fabric-cutter-person either discards it or sits it aside to put in the remnant bin. I usually offer to buy it if I happen to notice before they start cutting it, but if it was me, I'd just give it to the customer as a freebie, especially if they were making a large purchase. One time I went back to the store the next day and bought the remnant ... at a marked down price. :D

I just checked the latest 0.5 metre cuts I bought. They range from 52 to 55 centimeters. So on just over 18 inches I was getting an extra 1-3 inches.

These were all cut at once by one person at my fav LQS.

This is one thing that really burns me up, especially if every inch of what I purchased is necessary. I think if the store is going to cut it exactly on the dot, then they should allow for prior miscuts and bolt winding problems. I strongly think the customer should get every inch of what they paid for.

Maybe it's because I don't measure/plan to the inch, but I've honestly never had a shortage problem. The two places I frequent, (not lqs) always seem to cut long. They are always generous when it comes to end of bolt also. It seems I always find the bolt that has just a little left...then you get a markdown price. Only once, in a lqs, was I told she couldn't cut me just a yard, because that would leave less than that on the bolt...that I needed to buy it all...I passed...seemed ridiculous that they wouldn't take a sure sale...they still would have had a remnant left!! Like everyone else said...just want what I pay for, no more, certainly no less!!

I always buy extra. It is not often that I cut a piece the wrong size, but it does happen. So I just buy extra, just in case.

Dina

If the end is not straight, I expect them to measure from the short side not the long side, but other than that I don't expect extra.

These are my thoughts exactly!

I normally buy extra, but I do like to get the measurement I pay for. We have one LQS around here that regularly shaves its fat quarters -- 17" wide and sometimes only 18" instead of 1/2 WOF. They do a lot of scrap sample quilts and I suspect they take the extra from the 18" dimension for their scraps. I don't buy fat quarters there unless I measure them first -- and no the owner does not like her fancy folds undone.

Funny you asked this, because I'm still irked at the way my LQS cuts their very expensive fabrics ($10/yd and up). They use a formica topped counter and a yardstick to measure, then cut with no guideline whatsoever.

JoAnn and Ben Franklin stores -- both of which I think of for finding less expensive fabrics -- have the formica tops with a steel ditch to guide their scissors while cutting.

Needless to say, I won't be buying from that LQS unless I absolutely have to. I think part of my irritation is that they think they're doing you a great big favor with a very rare 10% discount.

Years ago, when I went fabric shopping with my Nanny, she would receive extra fabric maybe an inch or two with each yard as the sales lady unfolded the fabric from the bolt. ..I remember the thump thump the fabric board made on the cutting table as the cutter quickly measured the fabric against a yard stick and moving extra fabric after each yard.

Today, I now observe the meticulous movements of the cutter, as she ( I have only seen women cutters) unwrap the fabric ( no more thump thump) and positions the uneven edge against the metal yard stick ......going through multiple giyrations to get the precise yardage requested.

Because of this I usually ask for a 1/8 yard more just to square up.