how much fabric do you need to make a full size OBW? i was wondering this while looking thru my stash. i realize you have to fussy cut, which changes everything! ballpark figure-thanks!

No fussy cutting for OBWs :wink:
But, if you cut smaller strip sets, you do use up more fabric for all of those additional seams. :D:D:D

For a OBW you need to have 6 full repeats of the pattern on your fabric. Amount of fabric will vary greatly depending on how long the repeat is..if your repeat is 12" you will need 6' of fabric, if a 24" repeat you will need 12' of fabric etc.

Find the lenght of your fabric repeat, usually either 12" or 24", for a 12" repeat you will need 2 yards minimum, for a fabric with a 24" repeat you will need 4 yards minimum. Basically you need to stack 6 layers of matching fabric. There are lots of threads on OBW that probably explain it a little better plus there are other variables that go into how much fabric to get. Do you want to use some in borders?? or in the backing?? so many options, which adds to the fun of making them.

What do you mean by a full size quilt? How big is that?

OBW actually results in practically no fabric waste, but like as Amma pointed out it will use more fabric if you use smaller strips (like all quilts do).

In the first OBW book, Maxine Rosenthal gives an estimate of 4.5 yards for a "lap-size, twin, or full-size" quilt. (I think of those as 3 different sizes, so not sure what she means.) For a queen or larger, she says 9 yards. Both estimates are for hexagon blocks. It takes more for the octagon blocks. And... it also depends on which strip size you use.

Ditto to all of the above!

And yes, depends on what you mean by a full size quilt! And how much drop you want on the quilt.

The six repeats is minimal .... It's best to have a seventh, as most people include a strip of the original fabric somewhere on the quilt.

Or if you want to use the original fabric for borders and/or backing ... then more again!

I just did a OBW course ... we all had 12" repeats. One gal just barely had the six repeats and was doing a lap quilt. I had more than enough, and only did about 2/3 of the second set, in order to make it a larger quilt ... aiming for a large lap or double size. The 3rd girl is doing three repeats as she wants more of a bedspread size quilt.

We go back Friday for the put together session ... can't wait to see how everyone's has shaped up. Our fabrics are all so different!