Originally Posted by JanTx

Love fat quarters. I'm able to get a wider variety of fabrics this way. I've used them for table runners and for quilts. Turning 20 has already been mentioned - I do Turning 12 which uses 12 fat quarters. Cheaper by the Dozen uses 12. Yellow Brick Road uses fat quarters - 6 for a crib size and 12 for a lap size. I have a table runner pattern that uses 3 of them. Several patterns for crib size quilts use 6 - 7 of them.

When you cut a yard into 1/4 yd segments you usually get 4 thin strips of fabric - 9 inches X 42 inches. A Fat Quarter is made by cutting the yard horizontally and vertically so you get 18" X 21" or so.

At quilt shop prices fat quarters make for an expensive yard of fabric - around here they run $2.75 - $3. At the Houston quilt show I found tubs and tubs of them for $1 each. Our quilt shop has a basket in the back where they are 99 cents. Joann's has them for $1.89, but they fold them with a cardboard stiffener which makes me think they are thinner fabric - I haven't bought any so don't really know.

Pattern: Yellow Brick Road - 12 batik fat quarters
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-132228-1.htm

table runner - 3 fq's
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-131033-1.htm

Turning 12 - 12 fq's from a red/white bundle clotilde.com
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-125053-1.htm

Cheaper By the Dozen - from a kit made up of fq's
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-92398-1.htm

You simply can't get the shapes/sizes from a regular 1/4 yard and ... variety!