Does it have small pieces, and lots of them? Each seam eats up 1/4" of fabric. So, for example, if you have (4) 3" squares to join into a 4 patch, you 'lose' 1/2" of fabric, that is, 1/4" per piece for each seam. Your 4 original 3" squares are now 2.5" when sewn together. (This assumes that the 4 patch will be sewn to another block of some kind.) Repeat this often enough and the actual visible fabric in the quilt is significantly smaller than what you start with.
There is - if you are lucky - enough fabric to get you through a few mistakes, and for the dreaded 'waste' fabric, that we all call 'scraps'. Even so, 14.5 yards of fabric seems like a lot.
That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.
Last edited by cathyvv; 11-14-2019 at 06:31 PM.