For those who are mathematically challenged
 

Mo Star quilting offers a daily special, frequently it is a layer cake or charm pack. I was wondering what price is a good deal for a layer cake or a charm pack, so I did some calculations.

1 yard of 44" fabric = 1584 sq inches
1 charm pack = 1050 sq inches
1 layer cake = 4200 sq inches.

A layer cake @ $20.00 would be ~ .005 cents per sq inch or = $7.92 a yard
A charm pack @ $1.95 would be ~ .002 cents per sq inch or = $3.13 a yard

A yard of fabric @ $6.33 per yard would be ~ .004 per sq inch (that is pretty average @ Hancock or Joann when they have 40% off.)

It doesn't look like Mo Star charges shipping on their daily deal. Does anyone know if this is true?

They charge a flat fee of $5, which isn't a great deal if you are only buying the daily special, but if you want a few other things, then it is a good deal. Someone on this board once recommended wisely to put a few things in your cart that you want but don't need right away, and then when you find a daily deal you can't pass up, order it altogether...

It appears that these calculations only apply to the daily deals at M*QC which does figure out to a good deal! Something to take into consideration though is that most yards of fabric do not have 44" of usuable fabric due to the selvedges. When I am trying to figure out yardage, I just use 40" as my factor that way I am never short.

Yes they were based on the daily specials @ Mo star. To calculate cost per sq inch just divide the sq inches into the price.

The cost will never figure exact on whole yardage because there is always going to be some waste. These figures are just to give an idea of how much is reasonable to pay for the pre cuts.

For me, .005 per sq inch, is a reasonable price to pay. So I would pay $20 for a layer cake or $5 for a charm pack.

The good thing about precuts is that you get a variety of coordinating fabrics from the same line. You would have to buy alot of yardage to get that variety.

I love their daily deals and have been known to buy a few. Even with the $5 shipping charge it is a deal. Usually you end up paying almost $7, the charm pack normally is $8-$10. Add a couple of extra items and it's even a better deal, plus you get the surprise in the mail a few days later. I also agree, you get a nice variety of fabrics from the same line.

Me too! I tend to collect charm packs

Did you figure out the cost of cutting that layer cake which by the way
does not include selvages? How about the variety of fabrics in a layer cake?
You would have to buy 40 yards of fabric to make the same layer cake.
Sure you can cut from stash (if you have one) but not all of us are blessed
with such. Layer cakes are usually from Moda or other designer fabrics.
Is Joann and Hancock selling these same fabrics at $6.33 a yard? If so,
I'll be right there with a big trailer.

I buy from them quite a bit, and I generally buy other items along with the precuts. I like to purchase yardage of at least one fabric in the precut and then I know I've got sashing/border/binding fabric to go with the precuts. For charm packs, I often make bags from them, so I make sure to get enough fabric to make my handles.

I do have a drawer full of precuts and they really come in handy for quick projects or for gifts for my quilting buddies or giveaways on my blog.

I find the shop is wonderful to buy from; they ship quickly and I've only had very positive interactions with them.

When evaluating their deals, you do have to take into account that not all precuts have the same number of fabrics. They are working with manufacturers to standardize this to make it easy to compare the value you are getting.