Fat Quarter Question Please
 

Since I am so new to quilting, I'm not sure what a "good" or "fair" price is for fabrics. I'm interested in purchasing some fat quarters ... what is a good price? I see on Keepsake Quilting you can get 6 fat quarters for $15.99. Is that good?

Thanks!!

You will find fat quarters priced a little more than 1/4 of a yard cut. Fabric are selling from $10 to $14 so that would be $2.50 to $3.50. If it is a line of fabric that you would enjoy, then I think the price is OK.

I think that is about average for a quilt shop. Around here fat quarters go on sale at Joanns, quilt shops and quilt shows-however, if I like it I buy it when I see it. $2.66 is no bargain.

Thank you! I am in Washington State btw. I will add that to my profile. Thanks again!

I think it matters whom you are buying from. If the FQ are of marginal quality, cut wonky, or minimal size, it's not a bargain at any price. KQ tends to cut generously, and I've never bought anything there that wasn't first quality. They will also take things back if you're not pleased. Also, it may matter why you are buying the FQ. If you're stash-building, it's worth something to have fabrics that someone has gone to the trouble of harmonizing for you. And if you're really into a matched set, there's always the FQ assortments or jelly rolls from a single fabric line.

I think, all in all, it's a great way to learn about fabrics and start a collection. Some of your FQ will have identification on the selvedges that will tell you what fabric it is, and you can use that to order yardage online. Watch for sales, too, as many companies have specials at times. You might also consider other types of collections. My first thirties reproductions were from a huge 10" square collection. It's a great way to have just a bit of a lot of things and to find out which ones really call to you.

Hugs,
Charlotte

Thanks Charlotte! I was thinking the same thing - that it would be a good way to start out learn, not to mention start a good stash! haha I'm so excited to start my next quilt!!

When I first started collecting, there were only 2 small, somewhat lofty (IMO), quilt shops in our area, and they acted as if they were doing you a favor to let you in. I was leery of ordering online, colorwise, but I found several online shops that would sell 1/4 yard cuts. I ordered quite a bit that way, and if I really liked something, I could always send for bigger pieces or other things from the same line.

Someone here undoubtedly knows if online sellers still do this.

hugs,
Charlotte

Fat quarters are fabulously addictive things ! It is sooooo tempting to want to grab one of every thing you like. Be careful doing that though. If your quilts are mostly smaller quilts, or quilts with a scrappy look to them, you will be fine, just we warned that alot of patterns call for yardage over a single FQ !

When I first started building my stash, I went overboard with FQ's because there were soooo many options and I had that " Look how many different fabrics I got for $xx ! " mentality. Sure, I got ALOT of different patterns and prints, but they may not actually GO with each other outside a scrappy !

I find that I tend to purchase fat quarter bundles now more than singles, when I do get them. Otherwise I tend to watch the sales, and if I like something I get at least 2 yards of it !

The last time I had a Fat Quarter cut from a bolt at the LQS they charged me same price as a 1/4 yard on the bolt yard price. They do this and them out the other fat quarter in their fat quarter area to sell to someone else. Really a good deal for me :)

Judy in Phx, AZ

If you have to add postage to your order of fat quarters, then that will up the price per fat quarter. Something to consider. I had never even heard of batik fabric until a few years ago when I bought a beautiful pattern that called for 30 batik fat quarters. I fell in love with batiks and was buying all of the pretty fat quarters that I could find - not that easy since not all quilt shops cut theirs into fat quarters. Then I found more patterns/pretty quilts that used batiks and I quit buying fat quarters and started buying 1/2 yards, then one yard pieces, then, heck, bought as much of a beautiful batik that I had money for. Good luck in whatever you do.

Thanks everyone!! I appreciate all your help with all my questions!

Check out thousands of bolts, if you order 1/2 a yard cut it in half you have fat quarters for $1.25 each on most of there fabrics. It is quilt shop quality.... I do order from keepsake it's great quality too I used to do their moda fat quarter of the month club

Check out Connecting Threads.com. They carry only their own line of fabrics, but have great prices. Also Fabric.com.

After stacking 6 fat1/4s to cut out a 'stack n whack' quilt I discovered all fat1/4s are not cut equal, some being short and others crooked. So now I buy 1/2 yds - or mtrs - and cut them in half when needed.

4my3boyz has $1 FQs

My granddaughter who is 3 is collecting fat quarters for her first quilt. I told her we will start it when she is 4 and can somewhat help at the sewing machine. In the mean time she is collecting several fat quarters every time we are somewhere they sell them. I usually get at least 2 of each one. That way we have at least 1/2 yard of a color. She has so many that we have multiples of several colors. Or if it is a color that she REALLY LIKES then I will get a few more while I can find it. She has several hundred so far. We also have the backing picked out for a full size quilt. She sits on the floor arranging the colors and we take pictures of what she designs for future reference.

joanns has sales where fat quarters are only a buck...normally they are $2

you must have been very lucky to get 6 fat quarters to pattern match to be able to cut for a S&W.........

Today - 6/18/14 - Thousands of Bolts is having a FQ Blowout sale. Ten FQs for $12.95. They are one of my go-to on line dealers as they have good fabric at good prices. I took advantage of their FQ sale a couple of years ago and wasn't sorry. If you are stash building it is worth looking, but don't delay as they don't do this all the time and when the supplies are gone, they are gone. http://www.thousandsofbolts.com/inde...rchsubmitted=1

First off, what kind of quilting are you going to do? I knew right off two, three, fabric quilts would bore me to tears. Knew I was a scrappy girl off the bat. I buy lots of 1 yd pieces and some stores have sales and sell off their odds and ends - that's my kind of sale. I don't waste time on fq unless they are on sale and I need it. As far as buying the wrong color? What is a wrong color? It will fit in somewhere. No fabric goes wasted with me. I've been buying border fabric recently, but mostly 1-3 yd pieces.

I stock up on solid color fat quarters at small quilt show vendor booths. They usually have a fat quarter bin for $1- $2. I like buying the fat quarter towers or bundles of different design lines. I buy most all my fat quarters online from Missouri Star Quilt Company and Connecting Threads.

I have fallen out of love with fat quarters. As someone said...they're often wonky or cut so far off grain you're left with a scrap after straightening up. Plus if you fall in love with a fabric, Murphy's law dictates that the piece you get will NOT have the selvedge that actually has the manufacturer's info. So for me, half-yards is the minimum I'll buy; I prefer a yard.

I would trust Connecting Threads though. I haven't bought from Keepsake but have heard good things.

Watch out for FQ's at Joann's, though...some are decent quality but in my experience the vast majority of the FQ's there are terrible - very thin, meshy weaves that you can see right through. Joann's gets a lot of hate but I like the store, generally speaking...but I agree with the haters when it comes to their FQ's.

our shop sell FQ's for $3.25 each or 10 for $30.00

I found a really cute print, either at JoAnn's or Hancocks for 99 cents. It was like cheesecloth. When I see these prices now I look the other way. The only way I'll buy something like that is in the remnant bin. There you find every kind of fabric and you can look carefully to see if it is good stuff.

I will only buy FQ if I need just a small bit of a specific color (usually for a pocket on a bag). But I will never pay $3 for a FQ. Way too expensive for a scrap of fabric that was a bolt end/remnant. You are way better off buying yardage.

One question you should ask yourself, is why you want fat quarters. Are you making something that requires fat quarters? A lot of people build a stash with the left overs of quilts they have made. Be careful you don't become just a fabric buyer.

fat quarter pricing
 

I too live in Washington state, the Northwest. I will not pay over $2.25 a fat quarter. If I really like it and I'm buying it at a QS, I will pay more.

$3.00 for a fat qtr. is NUTS. That equals $24.00 per yard. You can't be the pricing at Connecting Threads although their selection is limited. They DO NOT CHARGE for the labor to cut these specialty cuts.

How are you figuring that?

hugs,
Charlotte

It's actually $12.00 a yard. Still a lot.

Anyone going to Shipshewana Quilt Festival be sure to check out Little Bit of Lolly's row boat of fat quarters. The special this summer is 12 for $20. All name brand, good fabrics from Lolly's. Also, bolts are $6.50 a yard. I bought several pieces yesterday for table runner backings. Fun to make tr reversible.

$12.00 a yard is about average price for fabric at the LQS around here. Usually the prices range from about $10-$14 a yard. Beverly's (a local-ish chain store) is usually $9.99-11.99/yd. So $3/fat quarter is actually pretty reasonable, for my local area.

Which explains why I buy so much of my fabric online. :(

Not to be the "downer" in the group, but beware of "sets" of fat quarters! Most of the donations I receive to do my charity quilts with are the fat quarters that people hated when they received the sets of fat quarters they bought. It seems they got two or three pieces they loved and more pieces they hated, and those just took up space on their shelves gathering dust and frowns. Eventually (sometimes years later) those got passed along to someone who would use them in scrappy quilts. If you love doing scrappy quilts, nothing gets wasted, but if you DON'T, well... that's another story! You'd be better off paying for yardage you love and will USE! Just sayin'......

I buy fabric on sale and cut a lot of my own fq's, however I do love Keepsake Quilting fq's and half yard's a buy from them often. I love all the fabrics I have bought from them.

2.50 to 3.50 is fair but look at the fabric to make sure it is of good quality.... Good quality is found in most quilt shops. I have found that Joann's single fats are more often than not lacking.

Thanks everyone!! I think I might try one of the fat quarter monthly deals at keepsake. Since I am so new to this, I don't have very much in my "stash" yet.

I buy fat quarters when JoAnn has them on sale for 99 cents. I recently bought about 50 of them. I also like to buy them from Connecting Threads. They are a good quality and they are reasonable. Wall Mart has fat quarters for as little as 97 cents. There are a lot of choices out there...