Originally Posted by
GrandmaSewNSew
Never a dumb question. The reason I want to know this is that sometimes I've seen patterns or directions (for example Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Company) and that will say "use one jelly roll and one layer cake". I wanted to know how much yardage that would be in case I wanted to cut my own. Some of the patterns might need the 42 inches of running yardage at 2 1/2 but others clearly don't. It is just a way of being able to tell if I could substitute some of the material I have for what they require. I realize that with cutting things won't be the same- turning a fat quarter into 10 inch squares isn't very efficient, but there are times when it would work for me. Thank you for checking the figures!
In that case, you do need to take into account that IF you cut your own, you won't get quite as much as the total yardage of a package implies.
The next time you get a package of anything, lay out your strips (side by side, not end to end) and find a long measuring tape -----a good metal one would be long enough. Then take note as to how long your pieces are when laid side by side. What you might do, is use scrap paper and write a note in the middle that 40 jelly roll strips total to 100" A bit more than 2 3/4 yard. Grab your camera and take a snapshot.
Do the same with other precuts. With the charms at 5" you can get 8 across and then make 5 rows----------measure that. (40 pieces, right?) A bit less than 3/4 of a yard.
The layer cakes you can lay out 4 across-----total 40"
Then 10 rows. (40, again?) again, a bit more than 2 3/4 of a yard.