Are you sure you aren't remembering how to cut fat quarters (FQs) rather than scant quarters? A FQ measures 18" by half the width of the fabric (WOF), so you can cut 4 of them from one yard of fabric. A skinny quarter is 9" by the full WOF. You also get 4 skinny quarters per yard, but they are shaped differently from FQs. I'm thinking perhaps you got cutting fat quarters and sewing scant quarter inches mixed up. It's easy to do when a lot of new terminology is thrown your way.