A simple trick to cut waste when cutting!

After too many years of trying to reconcile Burda's insistence that all fabrics come in metred widths of 140-150 cm, when Thai Silks and other emporia of delicious luxuries sell 45 inch fabric ordered by the yard, I devised a simple way to measure how much I'd need to order, without unnecessary waste or customs duties.
I bought three metres of cheap but sturdy muslin at IKEA and marked off the whole length in washable pencil at the 45 inch width point (bottom photo with finger) and from one end, the yardage at intervals of quarters, thirds and half yards, (middle photo.)  Now I can lay down a pattern, plan the cutting layout, and then buy only exactly what I need.
These photos are pretty drab, but perhaps you can see how handy a pre-measured layout cloth is, not only for those of us ordering long distance, but anyone trying to use a Burda pattern in a 45-inch world.