ZJ Humbach

What is a Fat Quarter vs. a Quarter Yard of Fabric?

ZJ Humbach
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      When it comes to buying fabric there are many options. You can purchase any length of fabric you want from off a bolt or you can buy pre-cut pieces or bundles of fabric. One of the more popular pre-cut pieces of fabric available today is a fat quarter. But should you get a quarter yard or a fat quarter? Let’s go over what a fat quarter is, exactly how much fabric it contains, and how it’s different from a quarter yard.

      Understand Fabric Yardage

      Quilting fabric can be purchased off of a bolt in lengths of anything from a few inches to a few yards. While the length of the fabric you purchase can differ drastically the width is generally consistent — typically between 42 and 44 inches. Fabric is folded when it is stored on a bolt so when it’s being cut the width of fabric you see is around 21 inches, folded in half. A quarter yard of fabric is 9 inches, making the total dimensions of a quarter yard purchase 9 inches × the fabric width, typically 42 to 44 inches. So, what is a fat quarter? Fat quarters measure approximately 18 inches x 21 inches. An easy way to visualize how a fat quarter is cut is to imagine a quarter yard of fabric that has been divided along the fold into two 9-inch × 21-inch pieces. One of these pieces is then placed next to the other, creating an 18-inch × 21-inch fabric piece—known as a fat quarter.

      Buying Fabric Tips to Get the Right Amount

      Understanding what a fat quarter is makes it more useful when planning a quilt. While most quilters don’t generally need extra reasons to buy more fabric, fat quarters are handy to have in every fabric stash. Check out the above video to hear her explain when and why you might want to buy a fat quarter over a quarter yard of fabric, or vice versa.

      A fat quarter is just one type of pre-cut fabric. To learn more about jelly rolls, charm packs, and more, you can read Colleen Tauke’s article What Is a Precut?

      You might also be interested in:

      What Are Pre-Cut Fabrics?
      Fat Eighth Drawstring Bag
      Creating a Quilt Block with Jelly Rolls
      Half-Square Triangles with Jelly Rolls
      Figuring Yardage for Quilt Backs
      How to Measure Quilt Backing
      How Sewers Can Use Fat Quarters
      What You Need to Know About Precut Quilting Fabrics

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      3 Responses to “What is a Fat Quarter vs. a Quarter Yard of Fabric?”

      1. stephenie crowley

        It would have been helpful to unfold the quarter-yard to show that it's two layers, 42" x 8". Beginners might not understand that, because it's never shown. Thanks for everything else being clear, though.

      2. Katharine Richardson

        Ok.... trying to find an easy way for my mind to remember this, a 1/4 yard is basically 9" x 42" which is folded in half on the bolt. A fat quarter is 18" x 21". If length is needed then the yardage is better. So, reading the pattern instructions is a great idea, like you stated in the video, before picking out and cutting any fabric. If you calculate the square footage, they are the same.

      3. frances

        the dotted green is folded, right? It didn't show even though she mentioned 42".

      Fat quarters are in every quilt store. They're also in a lot of the larger chain stores and they come folded up like this and they're irresistible little pieces of fabric that we all just have to buy because they're only a couple bucks a fat quarter. And what's the hurt with a couple of dollars here and there. In fact, I've told people before that just like white food doesn't have any calories in it. Well, a fat quarter doesn't count as buying fabric.

      When my husband says, "Did you buy any fabric today honey?" "No, I just bought a fat quarter." So what's the difference between a fat quarter and a quarter yard of fabric? Well, that's a good question. A quarter yard of fabric goes across the entire length of the fabric. So it will be approximately 42 to 44 inches wide by nine inches across. A fat quarter on the other hand is half the distance typically of a full yard or a full piece of fabric.

      It should be 21 inches across actually. Yes, that's my that's the right way. Sometimes it's hard to see the selvage. It's 21 inches across in that neighborhood because fabric can vary from about 40 to 44 inches, typically 42 to 44 inches when it's on a bolt. This one just happens to be a little bit less.

      It's also, if you put it on your cutting mat, you'll see that it's right at 18 inches in the width. This one was cut a little bit generously. I got lucky. I got an extra inch. So why would I want to buy a fat quarter versus a quarter yard or vice versa?

      And does it even matter? Well, it does matter because this is only half of the length. If I'm am cutting strips for quilting, if I'm needing a lot of pieces for quilting, if I'm doing lots of blocks with the same patches in the block, like a lot of rectangles, a lot of squares. I'm better off getting my yardage because I can cut across and then cut my pieces this way. And I'm actually getting double, the amount of fabric per strip, as opposed to the fat quarter.

      I also want to buy yardage when I'm doing binding, when I'm doing borders because I have the length across or the width across for my binding, and I'm on the cross grain there. If I'm doing borders, I want longer yardage so that I can cut them on the straight of grain. And again, it's double the fabric. Fat quarters are great if you're doing scrap quilts, if you're doing quilts with limited numbers, if you just want to have a little bit for accents. I like to have it in my stash for applique.

      There's a lot of good reasons for it. It's a good inexpensive way to sample fabrics. Or if you have a nice stash going just to get a few pieces that'll pop, whatever you might be working on to keep your stash a little more current in your quilting, a little more current but keep in mind that when you're looking at your pattern read the directions and find out if it says you need a quarter of a yard or a fat quarter because while it's technically the same amount of fabric, if I were to cut this in half and fold it over it would be the same amount of fabric that's in a fat quarter, but it's in a different type of format. It's a different, a different way of using the fabric. So it's important to know that yes, they both equal the same amount of fabric but how you use them are a little bit different.

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