How Many Fat Quarters To Make A Quilt?

In the world of quilting, there are many things that you need to watch out for. There are terminologies that you will have to remember, the fabric that you are buying, and something about quarters that might seem a bit weird! But the thing that all quilters will know is that fat quarters are what is essential to making quilts!

So a common question that will arise when you think about fat quarters and quilts is how many fat quarters to make a quilt? That is a very reasonable question that I will be covering today along with all things related to fat quarters and quilts and how you calculate the amount of fat quarters you need to make a quilt! So get your quilting needles ready and learn all about fat quarters.

Key Takeaways

A fat quarter is a quarter of a yard of fabric and it is very easy to cut it from a roll of fabric to get a fat quarter.
There are some calculations that you need to do to get the exact amount of fat quarters that you need for a quilt.
Since quilts can come in different sizes, it is important to know how many fat quarters you need for each quilting project.
I have included a fat quarter chart so that it is easier for you to understand the size of the quilt and the number of fat quarters you need for it.
Fat quarters are better than regular strips of fabric because they are generous in size and you can get a variety of sizes that a regular strip of fabric can’t give.

What Are Fat Quarter?

A fat quarter refers to a roll of quilt fabric that is a quarter of a yard in size. A pre-cut piece will measure about 18 inches by 21 inches. Usually, the roll of quilt fabric will come at a full yard and a fat quarter has to be cut from it along its length to give you the fat quarter that you are looking for. The size of the quilt will vary whether it was cut along the length or the width but it will come about to a quarter of a yard.

How many fat quarters in a yard?

About 4 fat quarters will make up a yard of quilting fabric. This will slightly vary because of how the manufacturer cuts the fabric itself. Sometimes it will be half an inch bigger on one side because the selvage has to be taken into account for the fat quarter as well.

How to cut a fat quarter?

Cutting a fat quarter is quite easy to do. Here are the steps that you need to cut it:

Prewash the fabric so you allow for shrinkage (you don’t have to do this if the fabric comes prewashed, but do prewash if the fabric is red to allow for bleeding of color)
Dry the fabric and then roll out the bolt of fabric on a table until you have about a yard of fabric
Fold the fabric in half from top to bottom to know you have the right amount
Measure 18 inches from the top and 18 from the bottom across the selvage
Once you have the folds and measurements done, cut along the folds with scissors or rotary cutter
With this, you now have 2 fat quarters from 1 yard of quilt fabric!

Calculation of Fat Quarter That Is Needed For A Quilt

Before you start any calculations, you need to subtract the seam allowance from the fabric. the ideal measurement for seam allowance is ¼ inch. There will be seams on every side of the fat quarter, subtract two seam allowances from starting measurement of 18’’ * 21”, which will leave with a finished square size of 17.5’’ * 20.5”. we have the size of our quarter blocks, we can divide our finished quilt dimensions by 17.5’’ * 20.5”.

For example, if we want to make a baby quilt, a good baby-size quilt is 30’’ * 40’’, according to the quilt size guidelines. We will base our measurements on that guidelines. To determine the number of fat quarters, we will divide 30’’/17.5’’ to get 1.71. As we don’t want a partial square, we’ll round that up to 2. We will need 2 fat quarters to reach our quilt width of roughly 30’’. The width will be 35’’ ( 2* 17.5). Now, let’s do the length. We will divide 40’’ * 20.5” to get 1.9. We’ll round it up to 2. We will need 2 fat quarters to give us a roughly 40’’ quilt length. Now, we will multiply the number of squares together. 2*2 = 4 fat quarters. For a, 35’’ * 41’’ quilt, we need 4 fat quarters. When you are calculating the number of fat quarters you need for a quilt, be sure to account for any sashing or borders you want to add. For example, if you want a 4-inch border around your quilt, subtract your desired quilt size by 8’’ to account for your orders before you calculate the number.

Quilt Size Chart

The size chart below will show the largest quilt you can make with full 18’’ * 21” fat quarters

Numbers of Fat Quarters	Grid Layout	Largest Quilt Size
4	2*2	35’’ * 41”
6	2*3	35’’ * 61.5’’
9	3*3	52.5’’ * 61.5’’
12	3*4	52.5’’ * 82’’
16	4*4	70’’ * 82’’
20	4*5	70’’ * 102.5’’
25	5*5	87.5’’ * 102.5’’
30	5*6	87.5’’ * 123’’
36	6*6	105’’ * 123’’
42	6*7	105’’ * 143.5’’
49	7*7	122.5’’ * 143.5’’

Now you know how many fat quarters you need to make your quilt.

How to Plan a Quilt With Fat Quarters of Different Sizes

There are so many different types of quilts out there and they will have different fat quarter requirements! So I have compiled a list of the different measurements of quilts and how many fat quarters you might need to make them!

Baby Quilt

You have to make a baby quilt that is 35’’*41’’, you will need 4 fat quarters. You can keep the fat quarter in one piece which is a great way to highlight large print fabric or to make a quick and easy baby quilt.

Throw Size Quilt

If you want to make a 52.5’’ * 61.5’’ throw quilt, you will need 9 fat quarters.

Full-Size Quilt

If you want to make a 70’’ * 82’’ full-size quilt, you will need 16 fat quarters, because of the size of the fat quarter, it’s not possible to size a quilt up or down in smaller increments so that you cut the fat quarter.

Queen Size Quilt

To make a queen-size quilt of 87.5’’ * 102.5”, you will need 25 fat quarters.

King Size Quilt

To make a king-size quilt of 105’’ * 102.5”, you will need 30 fat quarters.

Quilt Size With 9 Fat Quarters

With 9 fat quarters, you will be able to make a quilt of size 52.5’’ * 61.5”. You can arrange the fat quarters in a 3*# grid to achieve the size of the quilt.

Quilt Size With 12 Fat Quarters

With 12 fat quarters, you will be able to make a 52.5’’ * 82” size quilt. For this, you should arrange the fat quarters in a grid 3 * 4 grid to achieve the size of the quilt.

Quilt Size With 16 Fat Quarters

With 16 fat quarters, you will be able to make a 70’’ * 82” size quilt. You can arrange the fat quarters in a 4* 4 grid to achieve this size of the quilt.

Quilt Size With 20 Fat Quarters

With 20 fat quarters, you will be able to make a 70 ‘’ * 102.5’’ size quilt. You can arrange the fat quarters in a grid of 4 * 5 to achieve the size of the quilt.

Fat Quarter Vs Regular Quarter: Why Fat Quarters Are Better For Quilting

Fat quarters are 18’’ * 22” rectangle cuts of fabric that are popular among quilters. A regular quarter yard of fabric is cut in a long 9’’ * 42’’ strip, but a fat quarter is a quarter yard of fabric cut in an 18’’ * 22” rectangle. The yard is cut into 4 strips, it’s cut into 4 rectangles. Fat quarters are popular among quilters because they are a generous size for a precut fabric and it will allow for a lot of pieces to be cut from one piece. Another appeal is that they are sold in curated bundles which takes the guesswork out of choosing fabric for a quilt. Quilts that are made from fat quarter bundles will have a scrappy look, although they are cohesive.

A fat quarter is cut into smaller pieces, so keep in mind that these calculations are only an estimate and if you plan to cut a fat quarter you will need to account for that when you purchase fabric. The calculations from this article, do not account for pieced blocks, sashing, or borders. If you want to cut into fat quarters, add sashing, or add borders, adjust these calculations.

FAQ

What size is a fat quarter quilt?

The size of a fat quarter quilt is approximately 18’’ * 22”. When you put it simply, a fat quarter-yard cut of fabric measures approximately 18’’ * 22”. It is called a fat quarter because it is wider than the typical quarter–yard cut, which is long and thin at 9’’ * 44’’.

Why is it called a fat quarter?

A fat quarter is when you cut the width in half and a yard length in half which gives you 22’’ * 18” which is a quarter of the basic yard, but it is fatter. Quilters prefer fat quarters because they can cut bigger chunks of fabric for their purposes.

What is an example of a fat quarter?

Take a yard of fabric and cut it in half widthwise and then lengthwise to make 4 pieces of fabric, such as, you would cut a pizza in fourths, that is a fat quarter. A fat quarter is a piece that is 18’’ tall by 20-22’’ wide.

How much is a fat quarter?

Fat quarters vary in size, although based on the width of the fabric, they typically measure 18 by 22 inches when the fabric is cut by yards or 50 by 55 centimeters when cut by meters.

Final Thoughts

Fat quarters are great way to know exactly how much fabric that you need for a quilt. Since a fat quarter is a quarter of a yard, it will be easier to cut the fabric to get the amount of fabric that you need. Then when it comes to making the quilt, you can combine the fat quarters together to make the quilt! Fat quarters are better than regular strips because they are more versatile and large enough to get it into shape for your quilt. Hopefully, this has helped you get an idea of how many quarters you will need to make a quilt!

How Many Fat Quarters To Make A Quilt?

Key Takeaways