Total fabric needed???
 

If I make a quilt using cut blocks of 5 inches for a 4.5 inch finished block and also a 4 inch border and material for the back of quilt...how many yards of material total would I need? I am figuring 7 yards...I am really bad at math. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

What size is the finished quilt?

I am going for a full size quilt so I guess around 65 X 74!

you can get 7 (5") blocks across a yard of fabric- by 8 (5") blocks the width *figuring 40" width* ... so that is 56 (5") blocks per yard of fabric...it of course depends on what size quilt you are making...how many blocks across by how many blocks down the length. once you decide the size of quilt you plan to make then you can figure backing- you could buy *wide* backing fabric- which is anywhere between 90" up to 118" ... 108" is a common wide backing fabric- if you bought 3 yards of 108" fabric you would have 108" x108" which is plenty for a queen sized quilt 6 yards of regular (36" x 40") gives you 108" x 80" if you cut (2) 3 yard pieces & sew them together (minus the seam allowance)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Handmade...item27e28eebd8
This is the quilt I want to know how much fabric needed. Thank you!

there is free app if you have a smart phone that does the math. Its' Robert Kaufman

Thanks patski, I downloadedthe app now I need to figure out how to use it! ;-)

65X74 - target finished size
subtract 4" from each end for borders - 57 X 66
Now figure out how many blocks you will need 57 divided by 4.5 = (this comes out to a fraction so we will round up) 13
66 divided by 4.5 = ( also a fraction, so round up) 15
Now multiply 13 by 15 = 195 squares
From CKCowl's post we know we can get 56 squares/yard of fabric, so for the center blocks you would need 3.5 yards of assorted greens.
The center of your quilt is really going to be 58.5 X 67.5, so you will need 267 inches of a 4.5" strip for a 4" border. From CKCowl's post we know we can get 40 useable inches across a piece of fabric, so we need 7 strips which is 31.5", so one yard.
(If you really want your quilt to measure 65X74, then cut your border a bit narrower. You're still going to need about a yard of border fabric.)
You will also need to bind it. 2.25" is the normal binding width. You will need eight 40" strips, or 18" which is a half yard. I'd get 3/4 to be on the safe side. Buying extra to be on the safe side is how you build a stash :o
Backing: either 2 yards of 108" wide backing (you will have quite a bit left over) or 4 yards of regular quilting fabric.
So:
Blocks: 3.5
Border: 1
Binding: .75
Backing: 4
Total: 9.25 yards (this seems in the ballpark to me for a full size quilt, 7 yards sounded a bit lite)
I would actually get 4 yards of assorted greens for the center squares because your 5" cutting lines are not going to fall on a natural yard division.

The top of a full size mattress is 54 x 75 iches. That quilt is what I would describe as a couch sized throw.

WOW! PaperPrincess! That is a lot for me to take in, but I will! What do you mean by cutting lines are not going to fall on a natural yard division and how do I make it fall on a natural yard division? So I am assuming this is not going to give me any overhang on a full size bed???? I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP!!!! :shock:

I would focus on buying fat quarters and 1/2 yards. I just did a top of 5" squares and I was able to get 12 sqares from a fat quarter and 24 from a quarter yard if I didn't make any cutting errors. If you don't want a whole 20 squares and can't get a fat quarter use 1/3 yard instead of 1/2. It changes the calculations of yardage. I ended up 14 squares x 18 squares and I added a 7" border because the overhang was way too small, so I'd shoot for 17 x 20 or 340 squares which would be 15 1/2 yards or 30 fat quarters or a mix of he two. This isn't counting the border. This site is a good guide for finished sizes because full covers a range of blanket sizes. http://www.equilters.com/library/qui...bed_sizes.html

OK, you are cutting 5" squares. So you get fabric, cut a 5" strip, then cut the strip down into 5" squares. A yard is 36", so you can cut seven 5" strips, and you will have a 1" strip left over. But that is going to give you only one shade of green. So lets say that you want 2 different green fabrics so you get 2 half yard pieces. That's 18". You will only be able to get three 5" strips from each (and have an extra 3" left over). So from the 2 half yard pieces, you will only be able to get 6 strips, not the 7 from a single contiguous yard of fabric. If you get 4 quarter yard cuts, a 9" piece, you will only get one 5" strip from each, so from 4 quarter yard cuts, you will only get 4 strips. So the more varied you want your greens to be, the more total yardage you are going to need.

This is kind of the nature of quilting, and why there are so many posts on this board about scraps and scrap quilting. While it's theoretically possible to wind up with little or no waste, there are not a lot of patterns that would do this. Also, it's rare that fabric cut from the bolt is cut perfectly so you have to allow for a bit of waste to square it up.

An alternative would be to use precuts. Charms are 5" square. A charm pack has lots of different fabrics, you will need to read the fine print to see how many squares are in a particular pack. Here's a link to a site that has a good selection:
http://www.missouriquiltco.com/shop/browse/12

To answer your other question, about making a larger quilt so there's a 'fall' (hangs over the edge of the bed) I would add more borders. If you make your squares bigger, I think you will loose the pattern.

Thanks PaperPrincess!

When I am figuring up yardage needed, I start with how many of each block I'm going to need. Due to salvages, I usually only figure 40" of usable width of fabric. If I'm cutting 5" blocks, I know that one strip of 40" fabric will allow me to cut it into 8 pieces that are 5" wide. Then I figure out how many 5" strips I will need. If one strip gives me 8 squares, then 2 strips will yield 10 blocks. Just figure out how many 5" strips you will need. If I need 80 blocks, that's 10 strips. Then take the width of your strip (5") and multiply by how many strips you need (10). That means you need 50" of yardage. I always tend to round up another 18" (1/2 yard) on what I need. Sometimes I'll add a full yard. Take the total number of inches you need and divide by 36 to get the number of yards to buy.

Someone else asked about this same quilt the other day. It is a little small for a bed. The one in the picture is 14x16 blocks and then the border. I think fat quarters or half yards, as said before, would be your best bet.
My guess is that the original as made with 5" blocks - maybe a charm pack - finishing at 4 1/2" each.
If you start with 6" blocks (5 1/2" finished) it will be 77" x 99" plus your 4" border, so 84" x 110". This will give you a drop of approximately 14" on each side of a full size bed. You might want to take off one row from the bottom so that you have a drop of 14" at the foot of the bed. (Don't take a row off if you are going to go over the pillow, with a tuck, with the quilt.) I would get 1 3/4 yards of the black for the borders and 20 blocks in the center. I would get 6 yards of assorted greens for the background. (you will get 9 squares from a fat quarter, 18 squares from a half yard and 36 from a yard, so it depends on how scrappy you want the green to be) This will give you a nice sized quilt for a full sized bed. Hope this helps. Ann

I love math, but when quilting is involved - I want to get at it quickly. EQ7 is my friend. I bring up the block design and build my quilt on the computer. If I want it bigger, I change the block size and wala. If I want it smaller - same.
I add borders - subtract borders and change sizes in a flash. Then I go in and put a color where I plan for each fabric. They become color 1, 2 etc. Then I click on print yardage requirements and it gives me a picture of the quilt, a list of fabrics and how many pieces of each one I need along with total yardage of each. I have no affiliation with EQ but have used their program for many years. The updates are just like housing and food as far as my budget is concerned. Check out their website. I also have a youtube on the slip and slide method for backs that will help in saving fabrics as well as making it easier for your longarmer to keep that back flat during quilting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsAyGYSXY78 I am no longer affiliated with Quilt Supplies for U but if you want the excel spread sheet for calculating backs for the slip and slide technique email me and I'll be happy to send it to you. John Flynn is the person who came up with the formula, I just put it into a spread sheet because I'm lazy about doing it over and over.

Happy stitching.

You ladies are great!! Paper princess you are really good at this. Now I know who to ask when I need help on my figuring fab. for a quilt. I usually have to sit and really work at figuring out just what I need. No I don't have a smart phone, so that is out. I've enjoyed reading this thread, I can just see the wheels turning for some of you lol. It so nice for everyone to share with others, that's why I like this Board. Thanks for all the help everyone gives to all of us when we need it.

EQ (Electric Quilt program) is my best friend. You don't have to get the latest version. There are a lot of us that are still running EQ5. Is that a dog or a cat in the center of the quilt? You yardage will depend on the amount of prints you find. I would buy 3/8 of a yard. There are precut 5" squares called charm packs. Easier way to get a variety of colors but you pay a bit more. You might want to search for some Robert Kaufman's charm especially if you want to use a particular color such as green in the quilt you posted. Good Luck.

Hi! I was just working on a Excel sheet myself to help calculate yardage needed for a project.. actually for my sister in law, we bought the pattern, we bought the fabric and I was getting a little panicky on if I bought enough of the backing and front highlight color.. the shop where we bought the fabric is almost an hour's drive ;( I THINK I have enough.. I HOPE I have enough! my fooling with the excel and comparing it to the hand math, its off a bit.. so I have to poke it some more to see which is off!

Sally, Can you explain or point me to this slip & slide thing you talked about? and I'll PM you for that excel -- thanks!

OOPS! Just realized you had a youtube link there! OK I get it.. thanks I'll PM for the excel!