I always buy the big rolls of batting, you save enough money to make many quilts from one roll and it is nice and clean rolls and I just add extra to fit on my quilter so I do not run short when I fit it on the rollers but if you are hand or machine quilting on a small area at a time just take your 144" tape rule and stand up the full roll and cut straight down, you may lose 6" or so but you would lose that much either way. good luck.