If you're new to quilting, you may be asking if it's better to buy pre-cut fabric or fabric by the yard. Precuts come in a few convenient, standardized measurements making it faster and easier to get started on the project because you can skip the step of cutting your fabrics to the required shapes. Here are the different types of pre-cut fabrics.
Jelly Rolls, also known as 2½" strips, strip packs, strip-pies, and pixie strips, are 2½" wide × width of fabric (WOF). There are usually 40 strips included in each Jelly Roll.
Mini Charm Packs are 2½" × 2½" squares. Their small size makes them a very affordable way to preview an entire collection. They are frequently used as accents on a large quilt, or you can use them to sew a mini quilt! There are usually 42 squares per mini charm.
Charm Packs, or charm squares, are 5" × 5" squares. There are a number of patterns specifically designed to use charm squares, or you could make a simple charm square pillow or quilt. (Harlequin Charm video) (Spectrum Quilt video) There are usually 42 squares in each Charm pack.
Layer Cakes, also known as ten-inch stackers, are 10" × 10" squares of fabric. They can be cut into many different sizes and shapes, and are incredibly versatile! There are usually 42 squares in a Layer Cake.
Fat Quarters are 18" × 21" rectangles. They're equivalent to a quarter yard of fabric, but they're cut into a shape that's much more handy for quilting than the traditional 9" × WOF quarter yard cut.
Fat Eighths are similar to fat quarters, but are cut in half. They measure about 9" × 21" and are equivalent to an eighth yard of fabric.
Precuts are a wonderful way to speed up the quilting process! You can buy an entire collection's worth of unique fabrics cut and shaped to suit the project you're working on. Among our selection of precuts are the popular Moda precuts alongside pre-cut fabrics from Maywood Studio, Andover Fabrics, Wilmington Prints, Free Spirit Fabrics, RJR Fabrics, Benartex Fabrics, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, and more. Many of our fabric collections are available as fat quarter sets or fat eighth sets, and some can be found as charm packs, mini charm packs, layer cakes, and jelly rolls. Be sure to view out precut friendly patterns for more ideas on how to use your new precuts!
Frequently Asked Questions About Precut Fabrics
Charm Packs (5" Squares)
2-1/2” Strips
10” Squares
Fat Quarters
Fat Eighths
A charm pack containing 42 fabric squares makes a crib quilt that measures approximately 30" x 35".
A Layer Cake typically contains 42 fabric squares, each measuring approximately 10" x 10". All together this adds up to about 2-3/4 yards of fabric. This can vary a little between manufacturers, so be sure to check before you begin your project.
One 42-piece Layer Cake yields approximately 2-3/4 yards, so it would take 2 Layer Cakes to make a Queen-sized quilt.
A quarter yard is cut perpendicular to the selvege, all the way across the fabric. It measures approximately 9" x 43".
A fat quarter is a half yard (measuring approximately 18" x 43") cut in half resulting in a wider, shorter rectangle measuring approximately 18" x 21".
