Thanks for the memory share, ladies. The measurement machine lasted longer in my hometown stores. Only remember one with the pneumatic tubes and how I longed for one to be used while I was there.

I used one of these at a summer job cutting fabric in a J.J.Newberrys Store, back a whole bunch of years ago. The large roller machines do not snip and cut, they just measure and then you cut with scissors. (FYI - if buying the rolled fabric, please insist they use the roller - you can not accurately cut a 54" roll on a 40" table!). The days of snip and tear went away with the all cotton, known quality fabric. Just try to tear a fabric with any poly in it or a poor quality cotton. Even if it rips sort of straight, the tear will so distort the fabric that you will never iron it back in shape.

I also remember those yardage measuring tools. It would nip the end and she would tear the fabric.
Before that they used brass tacks nailed into the table in increments inches. Thus the expression,"Let's get down to the brass tacks".

I think the term “yard goods” came about back when ladies bought six yards of fabric to make a skirt. When I was 15, grandma made me a floor length prairie dress with “leg-o-mutton” sleeves. It actually took six yards of cotton for the skirt. I wore that dress constantly, every time it came out of the dryer. I wish now I had preserved it for the memories. It was made of a black calico

wow it's been awhile since I've seen one

Never knew where "brass tacks" saying came from.

Me too, the Mill End store had one and they used it a LOT.

Oh, dear - I remember getting fabric at Sears and they used those. Does that make me an antique also? LOL

That brings back memories. My mother was a professional dressmaker and made all my clothes up until I was married and when we went into the large fabric shops in the city they always pulled the fabric from the bolt through the machine to get the exact measurement.

When polyester became popular, the machine would not measure it correctly so they became obsolete. I remember seeing the tubes in stores. I also miss being able to shop at Penney's & Sear's for fabric. Seems like every year there are less choices for fabric.

Yardage calculator
My friend's father went all over the HawaiIan Islands maintaining and calibrating them.

awe yes I remember. Both in fact.

Yes I remember that nip/cut and the clerk then ripping the fabric at that place or cutting it if it wasn't cotton.

Oh Dunster do I ever remember, like it was yesterday! Fabric was always torn not cut at the store. Love it

Oh what memories that brought back, I have bought fabric measured on one of those. Granted it has been many years ago and I guess I am showing my age by admitting to this, but it was really neat to watch the ladies measure fabric on one of those as a child and later when I bought some.

You are right. There is a little lever that the clerk would push for the measure tool to put a nip/slit in the fabric at the point where the customer wanted the fabric sale to stop. Then the clerk would tear the fabric at the slit.

In high school, I worked at a So-Fro fabric store (anyone remember those?) and we used the fabric measuring machines. I always think about them when I go to JoAnns and watch the clerks measure against a yard stick (I'm always watching to make sure they get the measurements right!) and wonder why they aren't used anymore. I think they were much more accurate.

I had forgotten about these. I remember the clerks using these to measure yardage and it would make the cut and they would tear the rest of the way. Maybe 50-60. Years ago!!

I remember So-Fro Fabrics. I was sad to see them go. I always found stuff I liked there.

I too remember the pneumatic cash machines used to convey cash from the registers up into the air to the above shoppers to the office in the Co-operative store in England. There is a similar set up still used today in our K-Mart - I happened to notice an assistant tucking notes into a container in a pole next to the cash register and asked if it was sending cash to the office? A similar system is used in hospitals for sending blood samples to the lab - they're so noisy that they made me jump whilst sitting in the waiting room??

I too remember the pneumatic cash machines used to convey cash from the registers up into the air to the above shoppers to the office in the Co-operative store in England. There is a similar set up still used today in our K-Mart - I happened to notice an assistant tucking notes into a container in a pole next to the cash register and asked if it was sending cash to the office? A similar system is used in hospitals for sending blood samples to the lab - they're so noisy that they made me jump whilst sitting in the waiting room??

Yes, it measures fabric. I worked at Brunners Department store back in 1956. The one I used had the meter on top and the measure slide in the front. You would pull the fabric through until their yardage was reached, then push down and it would snip the fabric. Then tear the fabric. We always gave the buyer an extra inch.

I must be a million years old! I actually remember these when my mother would buy fabric! Thanks for a walk down memory lane!