What Are All Those Quilting Fabric Cuts?

What is the difference between a Fat Quarter, a Charm Pack, a Jelly Roll, a Layer Cake, and a Yard of Fabric?

Are you totally confused about what all these fabric cuts are? So was I. It can be overwhelming.

I finally figured all of this out after looking at a ton of patterns and reading books, but it would have been helpful to have it all in one place. So here it is!

The best thing is that most of these cuts can be bought in coordinating packs. So if you’re unsure about what will go together or if you love an entire collection and can’t choose just one fabric to commit to with an entire yard – you can buy smaller amounts and use all the fabrics you love! (That helps with the stash situation.)

So grab some wine and I’ll walk you through what the different cuts are. (Warning: you might want a piece of cake with some jelly filling after reading this.)

First: The Fat Quarter

If you take a bolt of fabric to the counter and ask for a quarter yard, you will get a strip of fabric that is 9” x 42”. Which might be useful for some things, but isn’t nearly as useful as a piece of fabric that is 18” x 22” or a “Fat Quarter”.

Most quilt shops have these piled up around the store so that you can grab and go. They’re perfect for a lot of smaller projects and for projects that require a variety of fabrics in smaller cuts. So if you want to make something with patchwork or if you just really need a little bit of fabric for some applique, grab a fat quarter.

You can also buy packs of fat quarters from a collection to make a quilt, a set of placemats that almost-but-doesn’t quite match, a patchwork bag, or just about anything.

Joann’s won’t cut you a fat quarter off any bolt you want because their fat quarters are pre-packaged. But a quilt shop will probably cut them off any bolt because their piles of fat quarters are scraps from bolts they sell. So if they cut you one fat quarter, they can cut a matching one and sell it.

As you get deeper into the world of crafting, you’ll also find tons of projects that are “fat quarter friendly.” So if you fall in love with a fat quarter, chances are high that you’ll be able to find a pattern out there to make a bag or a pillow or even a quilt!

As you can see, I tend to buy whatever catches my eye at that moment (it helps that my quilt shop has Buy 5 for 3 pricing).

Next: A Charm Pack: 5 x 5 pre-cut squares.

I’ve only used these a few times because I tend to like larger prints that look don’t quite work on 5×5 cuts. But these are super useful for a quick patchwork project or to make some Half Square Triangles (HSTs).

Basically, if you don’t want to spend an entire morning cutting out 5” squares, you can buy them in a pack.

I’ve been finding a lot of tote bags recently that use Charm Packs – and I made one for my mom for Christmas! It makes a great patchwork bag, but nobody knows you used a shortcut.

Third: A Layer Cake: 10” squares

Moda brands theirs as Layer Cakes – but there are also Stackers, Crackers and Patty Cakes or just 10” squares.

If you want to make a larger quilt this is a great option. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures because I have never used one. 

Finally: A Jelly Roll: 2.5” wide x 42” long strips

When I started quilting I wondered what the obsession with 2.5” strips was. Now I know. This is the width needed for binding and is also used frequently as a base for other quilt blocks.

A Jelly Roll is 2.5” strips cut by the length of the fabric. Again, this is what Moda calls them, but they can also be called Rolls and Rollie Pollies.

You can make a strip quilt out of them, use them for binding, or a rag rug. Or, you can cut them into smaller squares, rectangles, and triangles to piece together patchwork for a larger design.

 

I hope this helped you navigate through buying fabric!