willferg

With finished blocks of 7.5", 8 blocks wide is 60" and 11 blocks down is 82.5. I actually like to use odd numbers, so I'd probably go 7 blocks by 9 for a lap quilt, which would be 52.5" x 72.5".

If the total number of blocks is 88, though, for the bigger size, I'd cut 8" x wof and then cut 8" blocks, getting 5 blocks per width of fabric. I would need 44 blocks total, so it would take nine rows, or 72", to yield 45 blocks (one extra). For the strips, you would need nine strips of the first color, nine of the second color, nine of the third color, stitched together along the width of fabric and then cut into 8" blocks, giving you 5 per width of fabric. Color 1 at 2.5", and you need 9 strips, is a total of 22.5" (or 24" to be safe), color 2 at 4" for 9 strips would be 36", and color 3 would be same as 1, another 22.5".

I hope that helps? If you keep in mind that with either the focus fabric or the strip sets, you'll get five 8" blocks out of a width of fabric, you can go from there. If you wanted five blocks across and five down for a baby blanket (so 25 blocks), you'd need 12 of the focus and 13 of the strips, or vice versa, depending on which fabric you wanted to be the odd one. You'd still need three strips of each fabric, which would give you 15 blocks (five from each strip, three strips) so you'd have a few extra blocks of each.