Thank you for answering me. I will probably stick to the 2 1/2" the pattern calls for since it won't make a difference. I'm making each of the women in my small group bible study a bow tucks for Christmas. I tried to be "thrifty" getting a lot of my fabrics from a thrift store. I'll have to pay attention to the sides of the fabric. There may be more than just the selvage cut off. Lesson learned.