For someone wanting to acquire a variety of fabrics, you can buy twice as many 1/4 yard pieces as you could 1/2 yd. pieces, and an 18x22 piece has more potential uses than a 9x44 piece. If you're the type that falls in love with fabric lines, the fat quarter bundle is a great way to acquire the entire line. As someone said above, you can usually get a couple of quilts out of a fat quarter bundle.