Total fabric cost from yardage and price.
Multiply yardage by price; add tax and shipping separately.
The total cost of fabric is the number of yards multiplied by the price per yard. It is a simple calculation, but it is easy to forget the extras, such as sales tax, shipping, and the cost of lining, interfacing, thread, and notions, so add them to the budget before you buy.
It is sensible to buy about ten to fifteen percent more than the pattern calls for, to allow for shrinkage, cutting mistakes, and matching a print. Fabric is usually cut in whole fractions of a yard, and shops often have a minimum cut, so check the lengths that are sold.
The width of the fabric changes how many yards you need and how good a deal a price is. A fabric that is 60 inches wide gives more usable area per yard than one that is 45 inches wide, so compare the price per square foot when you are choosing between them.
Look for sales and remnants for small projects, and buy all the fabric for a project at once, since dye lots and printing runs vary and later purchases may not match exactly.