Originally Posted by
Prism99
Girlfriend, you're right on track. Half a yard would be 18", which is not enough. I always buy more than I think I will need to allow for crooked cutting and my mistakes, so I would up the yardage to 3/4 of a yard (24"). Although 5/8 of a yard is adequate (22.5"), it doesn't allow for mistakes. I always go up a little more and add any scraps to my stash.
If you have a calculator, an easy way to figure out how many inches is in 5/8 of a yard is to do this: 36 times 5 divided by 8. The result is the number of inches in 5/8 yard. This works for all fractions because a yard is always 36.
I've always wondered how to figure the number of inches in each of the cutting increments...the eights are the hardest to figure out. And yes, I usually had more yardage in case of mistakes, or if I have to prewash. Sounds like you have a degree in math, or you've worked in a quilt store. Thanks!