Convert the units a workroom actually uses: fractional inches, yards and metres, fabric weight between gsm and ounces per square yard, and iron temperatures by fibre.
Change the inputs that matter to your decision. Optional assumptions stay collapsed until you need them.
1 yards is 0.914 metres.
| millimetres | 914.4 |
|---|---|
| centimetres | 91.44 |
| metres | 0.914 |
| inches | 36 (36") |
| feet | 3 |
| yards | 1 |
Fabric weight in grams per square metre and in ounces per square yard describe the same cloth; a bolt sold as 7 oz denim in one shop is 237 gsm in another. Iron settings are a guide — test on a scrap of the actual fabric first, and always use a pressing cloth on anything with a pile or a sheen.
Practical notes about the inputs, assumptions, and result.
Grams per square metre, the standard way fabric weight is quoted outside the US. One ounce per square yard is about 33.9 gsm, so a 7 oz denim is roughly 237 gsm. The same bolt is described both ways depending on where you are buying it, which is exactly why the conversion is worth having.
Under 100 gsm is lightweight — voile, lawn, chiffon, shirting. Between 100 and 200 covers quilting cotton, poplin, and light twill. From 200 to 340 is bottomweight: denim, canvas, heavy twill. Above 340 is upholstery and coating. The result names the band as you convert.
Because a tape measure reads in sixteenths, not decimals. 1.5748 inches is technically the answer for 4 cm, but 1 9/16 inch is what you can actually mark and cut to.
Acetate and acrylic want 110–120 °C, nylon and polyester 140–160, silk and wool 140–165, viscose 160–180, cotton 180–200, and linen 200–230. Convert a temperature here and the result names the fibre that band is for. For a blend, use the setting for the most heat-sensitive fibre in it.
No, and the difference matters over a bolt. A yard is exactly 0.9144 metres, so a metre is about 9% more cloth. Buying three metres where a pattern calls for three yards leaves you a useful margin; buying three yards where it calls for three metres leaves you short.
Other tools in tailoring & sewing.
Estimate cloth for a garment at your fabric's actual width, with pattern repeat matching computed from the repeat length, nap layouts, shrinkage, lining, and a quantity rounded to what the shop will cut.
Choose a seam allowance for a garment and fabric, see the cloth a seam actually consumes, and convert a pattern from one allowance to another — with fractions reduced and metric paired the way patterns print it.
Grade a pattern between any two sizes from your own base measurements, with per-measurement grade rules, a wider grade above L, and the amount to slash and spread at each pattern quarter.