I'm just whining which is why I put this post here.

Last night I was cutting fat quarters to do Chop and Sew. The squares are supposed to be 18 x 18. I miss cut the first fq so had to reduce them to 17 x 17. That didn't upset me much.

What did upset is when I unfolded the next fat quarter and found it so poorly cut I almost did not get a 17 x 17 out of it.

Aren't fat quarters suppose to be 18 x 22? Anyone else have this darn problem?

Ouch, feeling your pain. While I do not cut fat quarters, I have a hard time folding it right (get little wrinkles), and then get those darn "dog legs". Annoying to say the least. I often have 3+ yard cuts that I am trying to just get a little off from, How are you supposed to do it? GRRRR....

I'm keep wondering why ALL quilt shops don't use the rotary cutter and rulers! I cringe when I see them using the measuring tape(that's on the table) and the crack in the table for cutting.....I don't blame you for being upset...

I have had this problem in the past
So when I cut FQ's I always do a little extra
cut at 19"
so if the fabric is not perfectly squared on the cutting board I know it is still the 18"

but some fabrics are now going to 40" width so FQ would be 18x20

wonky measures are one reason i don't buy fat quarters for anything but stash-building.

some sources will measure and cut exactly 18".
that's fine. it's what was advertised and paid for. no grounds for complaint.
problem is that even if it's a perfect rectangle, i won't have 18" usable inches once it's washed.

i've received some that were 18" on one end, but less on the other. sooooo i didn't even start with 18 usable inches. :hunf:

the list of boo-boos goes on.

buying fats from a shop for the first time is a crapshoot. isn't that why they built Vegas? :lol:

p.s. very happy to see that mlaceruby takes such care for her customers. :-) :thumbup:

p.s.s. i'm pretty sure it doesn't happen on purpose. if fats are cut by hand, they may not be cut by quilters. we know to measure both side; measure twice; and then cut once. :lol:

It's happen to me and yes they are suppose to be 18 x22.

I have received the same problem...whenever I sell fat quarters on Ebay, they are at least 19". I never want to hear of a complaint that they were shorted. I sometimes will sell what I call remnant's if they are only going to be 17 1/2".

I did not know this! Do you know why they are going narrower? Wow, that could change everything in the sewing world.
:(

Just like everything else getting smaller and paying more.
1 lb coffee can is now 13 oz
1 lb bacon is now 12 oz
45" wide fabric is now 40"

Everything is shrinking except me. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Sorry to hear of your problems Connie. I don't think I've used fat quarters in a pattern. My fat quarters are usually just cut up for pieced work so it doesn't matter if it is a little off. I'll have to look more carefully at the fat quarters from now on.

I expect a FQ to be at least 18 inches long and at least 20 inches wide (half of the width of fabric)

The LQS - Quilts on Plum Lane in Dade City, Florida, routinely cuts their FQs at least 19 inches long.

That's about the only place I've bought FQs recently.

The two FQs that I bought from Walmart recently were LONGER than 18 inches (yes, I did measure them correctly!)

:lol: :lol: :lol: I feel the same way!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Okay, I have a dumb question: what are "dog legs"? :oops:

Okay, I have a dumb question: what are "dog legs"? :oops:[/quote]

When you THINK you have the fabric folded correctly, you cut a strip and at every fold, it turns in a different direction, like a dog's leg.

you get upset seeing them use sissors... I just about go across the cutting table now when I see one of them put a nick in the fabric and then prepare to rip it. I used to just stand there and cringe. But, now I figure... whoa, that's almost $10 a yard and I'll be darned if I'm taking home any fabric that is torn and it's on an angle..... One lady was quite annoyed me, but I just figured I had annoyed a lot more in my life, she has- to take a number. I wanted a full cut, not one that was ripped on an angle. Whoa... mommy get's fussy, time for dinner or ice cream.. not sure which one first...

Blue

I believe in dessert first! Good for you for taking a stand against getting rippped off.

I love your pun!
:lol: :lol:

I never buy FQ, only 6-8-10 yd. cut unless I am buying remnants or end of the bolt. My Daughter does and uses them in scrappy quilts, never said if they were accurately cut or not.

please don't accuse shops of trying to cheat you if their standard practice is to tear fabric instead of cutting.

(1) some people consider tearing to be a more accurate way of getting sections that are on the straight of grain at both ends. it's a more reliable way to ensure you have the same number of usable inches all the way across the WOF. i recently bought a sustantial stack of yardage from a very nice shop. when torn, the fabs looked a bit wonky. once washed, they came out of the dryer so nicely rectangular you'd have thought they were cut by a machine.
(2) in the shop i used in my example, the owner tore generously, which means she added at least one extra inch, just in case, to each piece i bought. i suspect that most shops that tear do the same.
(3) it's faster than cutting. at the Houston Quilt Festival two years ago, one world famous and highly respected shop was selling nearly all their fabs at a deeeeeeeeep discount. naturally, the lines were very long and their booth was very crowded. they tore everything unless a customer specifically asked them not to. i literally bought a suitcase full. not a short cut in the bunch.

cut vs. tear is a personal preference. the choice has nothing at all to do with honesty vs. deception or laziness.

all you have to do is state your preference at the table. too easy.

My problem was that my pattern for a runner used just FQ's and when the one FQ was not the right measurements, it really threw the whole thing off.......had to reduce the seam allowances.

Woe was me !!!!!!

I have found the same problem. Even fq's from the same online shop have different sizes although they are advertised as being 22" x 18". (whch is cut from yardage). In the UK metric measurement is now more common so it should be more. Why they can't use rotary cutters for accuracy is beyond me. It is so annoying to find the edge is not straight and losing more than an inch to square it up.

yep. the same thing can happen with yardage. that's why i always buy extra. at least one extra of each.

also, the pattern designer can't predict how much i'll waste on incorrect cuts. that's pretty bad considering i design all my own quilts. :lol:

since a fat quarter is cut by cutting a 1/2 yard of fabric (so should always be 18") then cutting the 1/2 yard piece in half along the fold one measurement is not always 22"...it depends on the width of the fabric, i have purchased fat quarters that were only 18" square...because the fabric on the bolt was only 36" wide...so, it can vary by a large amount. and then if you tend to pre-wash you will probably only ever have 16-17" of usable by the time you square up...if you really have to have fq's that are 18"x22" you are best off cutting your own out of yardage...that way you can start out larger to make up for shrinkage and squaring up.

LOL! Me too! :lol:

And a half gallon of icecream is now a third of a gallon.

I know!!! What's up with that?? Now it looks like I'm eating more!! :lol:

I've had this problem exclusively when I've bought FQ from JoAnn's Fabric & Crafts! And after I wash them, frequently the fabric is stretched and out of shape. If it's way short or cut way out of straight of grain, I take it back. They are good about that, but the hassle, time and aggravation! Usually I have a hard time finding a suitable substitute. I now find my own fabric combinations and have them cut, or I buy it on Ebay or Amazon where I've never had a problem. JoAnns is understaffed and staff lacks basic knowledge, so I regularly shop in a local store where I don't have to go from line to line and can talk and get help from fellow fabric addicts.

Yes I have. Many fabric cutters are not very accurate and when you only get a FQ it can make a big difference!! I just keep a close eye when I'm getting FQs or I make sure I open them and examine them first.

You had mentioned a Chop and Sew. What is that? can you share the pattern??

thanks

Picklelady

Opps fat fingered!! sorry to all.

I've ordered fat 1/4's from connecting threads and some have been cut 9x42. Hate that when you need a 10" square.

Yes, FQ's are supposed to be 18"XWOF. I used to work in a quilt store and we finally bought a piece of plexiglass that was the size of a FQ. I know sometimes that fabric isn't rolled evenly on the bolt so you do have to watch for that when you're cutting right off the bolt.

Amen, sister!

You're on a roll today. Keep 'em coming.
Reminds me of the saying, "God gave us one brain, one mouth, two eyes, and two ears for a reason".
My Grams used to tell me that all the time.

I personally prefer that they tear instead of rotary cut because I know that the edges are on the straight of grain. One of the first rules I learned in a clothing sewing class years ago was that unless you start with your fabric on the straight of grain, it is never going to line up correctly. Just last week I purchased 3-1/4 yards of 108" wide backing fabric and when I straightened it to straight of grain on the ends, there was a variance of 6" off grain from one side to the other side of the fabric on one end only. The same was true on the other end, so I had lost 12" of fabric to get the fabric edges to straight of grain. I have learned to be sure to purchase an least an additional 1/4 yard to allow for straightening of my fabric when I want to be sure to have a certain length. I understand that some people are not concerned about the straight of grain, but I guess that rule has stayed with me, and I cannot overcome not straightening my fabric to straight of grain before I start cutting for a quilt. It certainly makes for easier sewing and a much better finished product.

I'm also very aware of grain lines.

The only problem that I see with tearing is if the design is "painted" on. My mom and I ran a custom drapery business for years and we pulled threads on our fabrics to cut them out but when it came from a print we drew lines.

I used to work in a fabric store too and it is a tough call when you cut yardage. If you allow a little extra it is a great thing for the customer but an expense for the store. If every customer gets an extra inch can you image how many inches that adds up to for a place like Joann's? Sure the store can eat the expense but then they have to add it on to to their prices to make up for it.

Tough dilemma.

An "extra inch" on a several yard piece doesn't add up nearly as quickly as an "extra inch" on several 1/8 yard cuts.

Funny - where else do we expect to get "extra"?

Go to the meat counter - do we expect to get 1.2 pounds for the price of 1.0 pound?

Ditto. Maybe we should be put in the drier on high heat, no, I would probably come out more wrinkled than I already am.

I had this happen...we travel alot...I bought some beautiful fq's at a quilt shop in Florida...when I got to my hotel a couple hundred miles further out I took them out to make a bag...I need exactly 1 fq for the main part of the bag...my fq measured 18 X 22 on one end and 17 X 22 on the other...it was diffently a miss cut by the shop...so I did email them and tell them about it as when I measured the other 5 fq's I bought in the same line only 1 was cut right....do you know they never returned an email of apology or anything....I always mark in my Traveler Companion books about the shops I visit...although it was a nice shop I went back in and marked it as a not to return because of fq incident...I didn't expect anything in return...I just thought she could have taken a minute to apologize....so now when we travel through that area I skip her shop and go to a couple of the others in the same area....sad...blessings