Many of you fall for our joly Japanese fabrics but also wonder how much is needed for your projects... It’s true that we’re more used to working with 140 or even 150cm wide fabrics in Europe but that’s not the case for the rest of the world!

The United States, Asia, and even Africa with wax prints work with narrower widths! 

Working with wider fabrics is therefore rather the exception, incredible isn’t it?

So, since I really like fabrics and patterns by the way, I wanted to give you a little help so you can calculate your yardage.

Let’s get started!

Why are most fabrics worldwide narrower?

The standard width of 110 cm for woven fabrics is not an absolute rule, but rather a convention stemming from the history and technology of looms. 

Old looms had physical limitations that influenced the width of the fabrics produced. 
This historical maximum width allowed standardizing fabric width at 110cm in the Asian and American markets. Europe, on the other hand, chose to standardize at 140cm. 

Standardization made production easier, especially fabric use in garment making but also commerce since buyers found the same width in different stores and product types.

Clever, isn’t it?

And then, the history wasn’t changed across the different continents and I see two obvious reasons:
1. people had gotten used to it and it would have required changing buying habits, patterns... in different regions of the world
2. and above all, the entire production machine park should have been replaced in a single step since manufacturers couldn’t change one machine at a time... cost was a limiting factor for change.

How to calculate yardage for 110cm wide fabrics for your project? 

More and more patterns specify yardage needs for 110cm wide fabrics and that's great! We’re waiting for all brands to adopt this! 

In the meantime, here is how I calculate the yardage needs for my projects when it is not specified for 110cm widths.  

First method

I trace my pattern and place my pieces on a 110cm wide fabric that I already have. I measure the required yardage and add 5 to 10% for shrinkage and pattern matching. 

If I don't have 110cm wide fabric on hand, I lay them on the floor using the number of parquet or tile slats to represent a width of 110cm. 

It's very effective!

It is also possible for those who come to the store to do the exercise live ☺️. Don't forget to bring your traced patterns and to carefully note the pieces to cut twice and/or on the fold. 

Second method
I calculate based on the type of garment and its ease.

With 110cm widths, it is not possible above size 32/child to place the back and front in the same width... you need to double the fabric length. 

This table can help you calculate your needs; remember this table is a guide and not a perfect theoretical chart 😄. 

Note this works up to size 44, for a height of 1.65m and for "standard" arm length of 60cm and sleeves up to a maximum width of 55cm.

If you are tall or have long arms, add about 30cm to the stated measurements. 

If you have puff sleeves or many pleats or gathers, add between 60 and 70cm (the height of a sleeve). 

Third method and for sizes above 44

If you are above size 44 in standard commercial sizes, don’t worry! You can manage with a tape measure. 

It is then necessary to count the fabric lengths for: 
- a front: one length
- a back: one length
- a straight sleeve: one length
- a puff or pleated sleeve: two lengths
- pants: two leg lengths + 20cm if there is a waistband
- a skirt: two skirt lengths + 20cm if there is a waistband
- a dress: add front height, back, sleeves, and skirts... and so on 

For my part, I often add 20 to 30 cm to be sure to have enough for hems, seam allowances, and the small percentage of shrinkage due to washing. 

Fourth method: the 3m coupons

The first three methods work when you already know the project you want to make, but that's not always the case when you come to the store and fall for a fabric.

For my part, when I don't yet know what I will sew with a fabric, I take 3m because with 3m, whether 140cm or 110cm wide, I know I will have many possible projects no matter what! 

That's why our joly coupons are prepared as 3m coupons, perfect for creating beautiful projects! 

By the way, I like to work on several projects with the 3m coupons 🤣

What is your favorite method?

Find all our beautiful Japanese fabrics here and our joly coupons here! 

And then, all that's left to do is get started! Grab your needles! I'm looking for my next coupon...