NUMBER OF SIDES and NUMBER OF LAYERS Are the Fields Most Templates Skip
Every fabric calculator on the internet assumes you're cutting a single layer of a single piece. The CLOTHING CALCULATOR doesn't. NUMBER OF SIDES captures the reality of garment cutting: a coat front is a different side than a coat back, interfacing is a different layer than the fashion fabric, and lining is a third. NUMBER OF LAYERS handles the multiplication that comes from cutting multiple layers simultaneously — standard practice for efficiency, but also the most common source of under-ordering.
The TOTAL NEEDED [HIDDEN FIELD] JS field aggregates LENGTH, WIDTH, NUMBER OF SIDES, and NUMBER OF LAYERS into the raw square-inch requirement before any unit conversion. That intermediate calculation is hidden — it's not meant for display — but it's the foundation that makes TOTAL INCHES NEEDED, TOTAL FEET NEEDED, and TOTAL YARDS NEEDED reliable. The chain from raw dimensions to usable yardage is explicit and auditable.
The Anatomy of a Purchase Record That Actually Helps
FABRIC NAME and FABRIC NAME [AKA] handle the nomenclature problem. "Ponte" is what the pattern calls for. "Ponte de Roma" is what the bolt says. "Rayon/spandex blend" is what the manufacturer's label says. All three names go in different fields, and three months later when you're hunting for more of the same material, you're searching on something that will actually match what a retailer labels it.
RETAILER ID ties the record to a specific source — not a vague "fabric store" note, but the identifier for the actual retailer in your sourcing database. If you maintain a separate retailer reference library in Memento, the ID links the two. COST PER YARD feeds the TOTAL COSTS and LAYERS COSTS JS fields, which return the actual purchase budget for the project and the marginal cost of the additional layers.
FABRIC PURPOSE is a free-text field that serves as the project flag: "exterior of jacket body" or "waistband interfacing." Without it, a database of thirty fabric records becomes indistinguishable after the project is finished.
Cutting Against Deadline with Wrong Math Behind You
The LAYERS COSTS field is where the financial realism lives. You're cutting six quilted placemats, each requiring two layers of fashion fabric and one layer of batting. NUMBER OF LAYERS drives LAYERS COSTS to reflect all three material components separately. You ordered based on a single-layer estimate. You are now short by a third and the fabric is a discontinued colorway.
LAYERS COSTS prevents that. It computes the cost of each layer type independently, so the purchase decision is made with correct inputs. TOTAL COSTS is the envelope budget. LAYERS COSTS breaks down what's inside it.
The DATE [BUY] field is a planned purchase date — distinct from DATE ENTERED — which lets you plan ahead when fabric goes on sale or when you're batching a retailer order. Projects in progress get DATE ENTERED. Projects planned but not started get DATE [BUY]. The distinction keeps your active cutting queue separate from your future acquisition list without requiring a second database.