Originally Posted by
Onebyone
I like precuts and buy them before yardage. Easier to store and I have one print or more of the whole line. And they look so inspirational on my shelf. I want to get one and start sewing. I use steam and press them. I put a piece of muslin on the ironing surface so if any bleeding happens I will see it.
Fabric will shrink in one direction. If a jelly roll it will shrink in length not width. So depending on how the pre cut is cut depends on grain line when cut.
I don't use layer cakes or charm squares if I need exactly the square size.
I like the pre-cuts as I can get the whole line of fabric at the time. Then I usually buy one or two of the fabrics of the same line for borders and backing in yardage.
I started doing this as I was finding that because I buy pretty much all my fabric online, sometimes it hard to find the fabrics that would go together for a quilt. What the color looks like on the computer isn't always the same as the true color. Going with the pre-cuts, I know all the fabrics that I put in the 'one' quilt will match/go together.
I use jelly rolls, charms, layer cakes, fat quarter bundles, and honeybuns. Whatever size I need to make the pattern. It is also inspirational to see them on my shelves. I usually buy enough for the quilt pattern that I have in mind. Then I just reach for the shelf and it's all there.
I watch for sales and usually spend less with buying the pre-cuts than I would if I bought just off the shelf yardage, because I have less waste with the pre-cuts and matching yardage and don't end up with orphan fabrics because one or more of the fabrics are not the color I thought they were. Plus it saves so much time. I don't have to spend time in trying to pull off the shelf yardage that would go together for an entire quilt. It's right at my fingertips, with no second guessing myself on the fabric choices.