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Originally Posted by pdcakm
go to joanns with a 40 or 50 percent coupon and buy the fabri-calc. it really works.
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i don't always use a written pattern. even when i do I buy a bit more than required in case I mess up(calls for 5/8yd, I buy 1). if i'm using 5" blocks, for ex. i figure how many I need, how many I can get out of a yard. It gets trickier the more complex the block. there are fabric calculaters available but I have never tried one.
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Yes I use my EQ also. But if I am just buying because I like it and probable will use it in a quilt later on I buy minimum of 3 yards,4 prob would be better.lol. I have 2 in mind with a black bg so I bought 9 yards of black.
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What's Wrong with me!!!! I don't measure amounts, don't use a printed pattern hardly ever, and I just do a sketch from a picture or an idea brewing from a piece of fabric in my "stash". Never used that word until I saw this forum!
It's sort of of a play, cut and sew. I have some quilts that I like and some that are great for charity! But I very seldom buy material, just inherit from others or use things that are donated to our sewing group. leftover squares make pillow covers, book covers, pin cushions, table runners, crazy quilts. Maybe all my things should come under the name of crazy, but I enjoy it all. Hope this might help some quilters to loosen up and take a chance! You only come this way once (I think) so enjoy it! |
I do it like this, too, but rounding up to a yard just leaves a 6 inch strip (or 2 more narrow strips if the fabric wasn't cut true to the grain and had to be squared...) so I'd round up a bit more to make sure I had a usable size piece for insurance or stash.
Originally Posted by EasyPeezy
Originally Posted by traveling2dals
To DebraK- Let say i have 180 squares at 5 inches and 4 different colors to buy. I think thats 60x60. My own pattern, just blocks.
This is how I do the math. 180squares/4(colors)= 45 squares per color. I usually use 40" as width. So, 40"/5"= 8 squares. Which means you can get 8 squares on a 5" strip (selvage to selvage). Now you calculate how many strips you need to make 45. 45/8=5.6 round this up to 6. So 6 x 5"=30" which is 30/36= 0.83 yard which you round up to 1 yard and you get a little extra for stash or insurance. See? |
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Thanks for all the ideas, it has helped a lot!
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The pattern and size has to dictate the needs. That said ... my practice is ... if I see a fabric I just love, I buy twice what i think I need and if I see one I love that is on closeout, I buy all there is. Thankfully my DW doesn't mind and frequently buys some she wants me to use.
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Friends call me the puzzle queen, and maybe it's because I'm a sucker for punishment, but figuring out the pattern with available fabric is part of the fun of quilting. It's good to have enough focus fabric if it's being featured, but when one fabric doesn't quite make it, I go back to the drawing board and re-work the pattern to see what I can do to make things work. I will confess, though, this is less fun when I'm doing a backing. By that stage of the quilt, I generally want it DONE, and having to piece the back because I don't have enough of what I wanted to use can be a pain.
If I'm buying for a pattern, I always pre-calculate how much fabric is needed and buy slightly more, usually rounding up to the next metre. |
When I see fabric that I love,on sale I usually buy 5yds. If not on sale usually 3.
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