Working in Centimetres

[Norma H.]

I posted here some days ago or at least that's what I thought. I don't know where my wise word went . So I try again:
If you have the basic pattern parts (and I assume that, because the pattern says: add seam allowance), you can use your add a quarter ruler and from then work in inches. Don't translate. It will not work. Try it out in paper. I always sew a block in paper if I'm not sure, that the parts will fit. It's easy and you soon know if it's going to be flat.

[Norma H.]

But they did switch here in the UK. If you build a house today, everything is measured in mm, and engineering works entirely in mm. Quilting just hasn't caught up and is stuck in a time warp somewhere.

So thats where I am! stuck in a time warp :lol:

Double confusion here if I do talk about metric measurements I talk about centimetres & metres, whereas DH the engineer talks about millimetres - arrrggghhhh!

[Pam D.]

As someone brought up on inches, feet and yards, even though we went metric many many many years ago, I will work in inches until the day I die. :lol: :lol: :lol: My children were taught centimetres at school but they cope quite well when I talk imperial measurements to them. :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Pam D.]

I support the inch brigade, imagine the cost of replacing all those rulers aquired over the years, not to mention the machine feet !!

[Kathryn S.]

Imagine at my hospital, where they express height in cm and weight in kg in the computer. This is in California- I have to translate that into inches of height. I'm ok with kg, having been educated that way in chemistry and pharmacy school. But I always have to think - is 175 cm tall?

I prefer my weight in kg, it seems so much less

kathy

[Lotti D.]

i have all rulers and gadgets in duplicate - one set in inches and one set in metric - and a couple of tape measures that conveniently show both - makes life sooooooo much easier. but i do hate buying fabric in yards - i keep thinking i'm loosing out
personally i hate receiving instructions in mm - why express things in a thousandth if i need a meter and a half?
when i learned the measurements - the main one was a meter - which has 1000 milimeters (mili = thousand), 100 cm (centi = hundred), 10 dm (decimeters, deci = ten)
i don't think of 40 mm - to me it's 4 cm; certainly never 400 mm - that's 4 dm, or 40 cm - but as soon as my measure would be over 100 - it's broken down to the next dec...
i'm forever trying to remember how many inches in a foot - and why 3 feet to a yard - after that i'm totally lost
so i guess for all of us it's just what we're most used to...
in school we used little wooden blocks and cubes to figure out the metric system - whenever you had 10 of something you ended up with the next measure - so easy to relate to i think... and whenever i think of a square i immediately have "all the little cubes lined up" in front of my mind's eye
rambling again - should be sleeping - but that's why i'm here - can't sleep - 04:37 am - one an hour and a half till i have to wake up - and still not sleeping grrrrrrrrrr

[Norma H.]

Lotti, I really hope you'll make it through the day. That was not much sleep for you.
I'm glad to hear that another person struggles with the foot measurement. I'm quite familiar with the inch and how it is divided and really prefer to work with it. But when it comes to feet, I'm not with you any longer. All you "inch people" don't know how difficult it is to sew in cm's with presser feet made to accommodate inches. And they do not make them for cm's as far as I have found out.
Then the foot plate is another story, because when you live in Denmark you get that one with cm marks. Fun - eh?

Like you, Lotti, I have the rulers and tape measures in both cm and inches and always have to think twice when buying fabrics in yards. Well, that might be the reason you don't sleep. Too much to think of

[Norma H.]

I prefer my weight in kg, it seems so much less

kathy

I always think of my weight in stones (14 lb =1 stone) that way the number is even smaller than kg 8)

[Kathryn S.]

I prefer my weight in kg, it seems so much less

kathy

I always think of my weight in stones (14 lb =1 stone) that way the number is even smaller than kg 8)

Even Better, I'm practically vanishing now. I remember watching a british TV show that was mentioning people's weight in stones and I had to look up how many pounds in a stone.

Kathy

[Marion D.]

I word with exchange students, who arrive at the end of August. I love to tell them it is only 90 degrees today! I speak "Metric," but I live in Imperial units.
Posy, I am going with you: my weight in stones!

[Rita C.]

Reported!

[ANNE E.]

Please don't change to centimetres, I'm 72 years old and had a hard enough time when we went decimal.
All I know is 39 inches is a metre.
That said my husband is German and has always measured in centimetres.
Confused in Surrey uk