I love the scrappy quilt that is on the cover of the October (yes, already out!) issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. The directions say this 71" square quilt that is made up of 36-8 1/2" blocks, with each block using a variety of fabric. It then has 2" sashing of a brown color between each block and a 1 and 3/4" outer border of the brown. It says you need 5 and 1/3 yards of the brown fabric for the sashings, border, and binding, yet only calls for 4 1/2 yards of backing. Can the amount of the brown be right since the 8" blocks are made of something else? Seems strange to me that it would be even more than the backing. Any thoughts on this?

Try maping the brown fabric cuts out on paper. My 1st thought is cutting the borders & sashing so that they don't have to be pieced. Backing will obviously be pieced.

I'd have to redraw it in EQ, my math skills are pathetic, but I too LOVE that quilt!

You could query it with the editorial staff of the magazine - they are not infallible.

Try this there is a free calculator on line. I use it all the time. Just type in "quilt calculator"

No, it's not a mistake the way they have you construct it. I get 5.04 yards of brown using their cutting list. There are two reasons why it's so much...1) is all the seams in the brown pieces...and 2) is because they cut off half the little squares that form the edges around each block. Look at diagram 7 and 8 on page 64 and you'll see what I mean. There's a lot of waste. But overall, it's not a mistake...although 5.25 yards ought to be just fine. :D

Thanks for the help! I am starting to cut the scraps for it. Love scrappy quilts. Actually that issue had 3 I want to make - most times I see nothing in my magazines!