Why does the US cut by yards and here in Canada we cut by the meter? It is beter to have it cut by the meter because we get extra here. :)

It must depend on the measurement method each country uses.

Because Canada (and many other countries) has most of their measurements based on the metric system.

Many of the USA measurements are based on feet/yards and pounds/ounces.

I really do not know WHY we have different systems. Habit and custom, I guess. Because that's what the English used.

It is always wise to know what system something is being measured in.

There are even "different" ounces and tons.

Yes, a meter is "longer/more" - but I feel it is up to the buyer to know what he/she is getting/ordering.

Approximate comparison: 1 meter = 39.37 inches

1 yard = 0.9144 meter
1 meter = 1.0936 yards

one inch = 2.54 cm
one cm = 0.3937 inch

I suspect if you did all the conversions, both measurement and currency, you might discover some surprises in the cost of getting that "extra" fabric. :lol:

I agree my friends in Canada pay alot more for a meter than I do a yard sometimes as much as three times what I pay

If a yard of USA fabric cost $10.00/yard, then a "meter's worth" "would" cost $10.94

In theory. But that is rarely the case.

I was trying to illustrate what the difference in cost at a USA store would be between a yard length and meter length of fabric - and that one does not get "free" fabric anywhere

I have no idea of what fabrics cost in other parts of the world -

Fabric in Canada is a lot more expensive than in the US, We pay aprox $16 a meter for fabrics where you pay $5 a yard. That is whay I mainly shop online and order from the US it is still usually cheaper with shipping too. :)

Also our quilting stores here have to pay an 18% customs fee to them shipped here, that is why the tend to get marked up so high, which is crazy. :(

And that is not considering currency conversion at any point in time, either, right?

right

The currency has basically 'even' for a number of years so it has stopped being a real factor these days.

The US was going to go metric at one point but there was such push back that it never happened. It also dawned on the powers that be that it would cost a lot to change the system - all new traffic signs and mileage markers in meters, new gas pumps that measure in liters, new scales in kilos, new odometers and spedometers in cars, etc. That's probably what really killed the idea.

Regarding fabric, I would prefer to get 3 less inches and pay half or one-third of the cost. ;) I have a cottage in Canada so spend lots of time there and don't know how you guys afford to quilt at all. I love finding a quilt shop up there but can almost never bring myself to buy anything.

Our cars have always had kilometers included on the speedometer but it's really hard to see the numbers. When we were in Canada we just checked what the US mph was for the posted limit and looked at that on the speedometer. So when it said 50 kmph we knew not to go 50 mph but more like 30 mph. lol.

Canada has gone metric in everything from temperature to car speed to fuel by the liter - and you think US gas is expensive? At least everything is consistent.

But aren't your fabric prices relatively more expensive as some Canadians tell us?

I think that we use yards, feet, in, and all the other different methods of measuring things because we wanted to be different and unique. hehe

They sneak the metric measurements in on us thinking we will change, but it has never worked out that way. i.e. pop and water 1 liter/2liter There was a big push for metrics way back when in I was in HS, but I think we are quite stubborn when it comes to changing.

Australia also went metric many years ago so we buy by the metre too. In a quilting store you pay up around $20 -$28 per metre, prices I can't afford :(

We pay twice as much for that meter so how is it better?

That is also what they charge here.
It seems quilt fabrics/notions are extremely expensive
everywhere out of the US.
I for one only buy online..

US has US customary system while pretty much the rest of the world uses metric.

That is exactly whast I was getting at My friend bought a meter of fabric in Canada for 16 dollars because she hadnt seen it here I found it in Watertown NY for 4.99 a yard

I remember when Canada switched to the metric system. My kids learned metric in school but I learned the other system. It was really hard for me at first as I had to convert everything into yards and pounds instead of metres and kilograms. And gas used to be sold by the gallon here too. Unless you had a new car, you had this sticker you put on your speedometer to convert the speed. Those were the days! LOL

I think the customs duty on fabric to the US is about 15% so that part is almost as high as Canada since most of our fabric comes from overseas as well.

This is true. After living in other countries and also vacationing in other countries... I probably never would be a quilter with the prices they have to pay for fabrics. Why it's so high is beyond me but I surely agree with Irish NY and find that the basically 3 inches difference is no matter at all to me....but the prices certainly are. We get a lot more for our money here in the US in regards to fabrics, notions and many other things. It's just one of those "it is what it is and nothing will change the facts" things. It's also the same way with the customs and postal fees the overseas and Canadian people have to pay...no amount of griping will change the facts that their particular country will do what it does. We all just have to live with what whatever it is.

There are three countries in the world that do not use the metric system -- Liberia, Myanmar, and the United States. Canada went metric in 1970.

Even way back when fabric was sold by the yard here in Canada, it was still more expensive than in the US, mostly due to exchange rates, import duties, and taxes. That will never change. Thank heaven for on-line stores!

If I buy good quality 100% cotton quilting fabric locally, it costs me anywhere from $12.00/m (solids) - $24.00/m (for hand-dyed imported batiks). On top of that, I have to pay a 13% sales tax.

And I say again, thank heaven for on-line stores!

In Newcastle in Australia I just paid $27 a metre for a backing for my grand daughter's quilt. This is quite normal, although we hate it!

Our son was in an experimental class way back when the US thought they would convert. He was not exposed to any US measurements of yd, inches, oz. etc. When he went to college he went into nursing so was at a great advantage. However, he needed help to learn the traditional way when he needed to purchase supplies for a project. He felt silly as an adult being taught standard measurements.

I think it is practical to know both metric and US measurement systems.

It isn't all that difficult - - - -

If one balks at the idea, our (USA) money system is "metric"

Think of 1.00 as the basic unit

0.01 is the centi- prefix (1/100th)
0.10 is the deci- prefix (1/10th)
0.001 is the milli- prefix (1/1000th)

10.00 is the deca- prefix (*10)
100.00 is the hecto- prefix (*100)
1000.00 is the kilo- prefix (*1000)

There are, of course, more prefixes. But it isn't all that hard.

A meter is approximately a yard.
A liter is approximately a US quart

I'm looking at the Measurement page in my Encarta dictionary - interesting reading. It has also made me more aware of differences and that there is more than one kind of "ounce", for example.

This very subject came up between customers at JoAnns the other day. I stated that I think all products that are sold by measurement should have 'yds', 'inches' etc clearly marked on them if they are being sold in the United States. Another customer said, "Well, meters and centimeters are used because we're the only ones using our system". I replied, "Well, since the United Stated is probably the largest English speaking consumer nation in the world, the least the companies can to is accommodate us by putting our system on their packages as well. Personally, I see no reason why we should be like, think like, or do like everyone else. Those who are in trade with other countries and 'have' to deal with the metric system can learn it. But the rest of us are just as happy with our own system.

I agree with you, but that's their way of making more money. I have been to a store called Frank's Bargain Center in Claremont, New Hampshire where there is a policy that if you buy 100 or more yards the cost is $2.65/yard. There is no online store as of yet, but the fabric selection was terrific the last time I went.
The owner said that he ships lots of fabric to Australia and other countries. He said that some fabric in Australia was up to $26.00/yard for the same thing he sells for $2.65. He sends entire bolts at a time. Will look for his phone # for you.

Oh my goodness, that is amazing, lol! I would bu many bolts then. I wish they had a website. Are they hoping to get one? do you know? I wonder how expensive there shipping fees are. Do they have a huge selection? How do I see what the have? Thank you, Thank you oh so much! :) :)

I have lived in many places in the US and what I have found is prices are tied to salary's.In Texas the house I bought was was $75,000,our Realtor in Colorado said it was a $225,000. house there and in Oregon it would have been closer to $400,000. With that said the salary went up from Texas,to Colorado to Oregon.Is this true in Canada,Australia ect.. Are the salary's higher there fore fabric,gas ect.. is higher?

Well our minimum wage I think is $8.00 now. Our gas is .94 Cents a L right now. Our utilities are very expensive last winter we were paying $600 a month, ouch. We are looking into building a house and it is $370 000 to build that includes our lot. If we were to build down in Lethbridge it would be half that, If we were to build in Edmonton it would be double that. So the closer we get to the US border the cheaper it is the further away the more expensive it gets. Your wage also changes where you are if you live somewhere very expensive you will make more. Does that make sence?

I have always thought more fabric is better! Love my scrap pile!
:-D

Every child in the US is required to learn the metric system before graduating from High School because it is required for science classes. They start learning it in elementary school. Realistically the metric system makes a whole lot more sense.

The question WHY should be WHY are Americans so determined to be stuck in a system of measurement that is not used in most other countries? The scientific community agreed to only use the metric system long ago. American money is divisible by 10 but inches are by 8 and feet are by 12? No wonder our children fall behind in math after 4th grade. They are required to memorize doofy measurements. Ever wonder why we were required to memorize multiplication tables to 12?

I'm fortunate. Besides living overseas, my degrees are in chemistry and physics. I automatically convert in my head. We all do it without thinking. It just depends on what you are comfortable with using. There are 39.25 inches in a meter, 2.54 cm in an inch, etc. I find it easier to work totally in metric. 100 cm = 1m, 10 mm= 1 cm, ...

When I'm squaring awkward measurements I convert to metric. It is far better to be off by 1 mm than 1/8 inch.

I am an RN and in the medical field we use metric also,1 liter of IV fluid,wounds are measures in cm ect.. so I don't understand why we don't convert for the rest of life here in the US.Different is not always good.

You are soooooooo right - fabric here is priced outrageous compared to the US - so when we get an extra 3 inches of fabric it still doesn't compare pricewise to a yard of fabric.

Too bad more fabric websites don't ship to Canada - they could have a booming business here - and only the recipient pays all customs duties and taxes if the amount is over the limit allowed. The seller only has to complete a customs declaration and putit on the package and the rest is in the hands of the post office and customs office.

We don't use the metric system.

Too bad more fabric websites don't ship to Canada - they could have a booming business here - and only the recipient pays all customs duties and taxes if the amount is over the limit allowed.

Do you know which online shops do not ship to Canada? I know that Hancock's of Paducah, Over the Rainbow, Dakota Cabin Quilts, Missouri Star Quilt Company, and Quilting By The Bay all do ship to Canada. Actually, I don't think I've come across one that doesn't.