What am I doing wrong? Quilt pattern help.
 

I found this pattern online http://www.prayerquilt.org/infopages...tch_Square.pdf and wanted to use it to make my twin nieces a quilt. I had exactly 12 fat quarters from a specific fat quarter bundle that I had bought last year to work with. After sitting down and cutting the first fat quarter, I'm stumped. I can NOT get the cuts that she claims in the diagram.

What I ended up with was:

2- 2 1/2 by 21 strip
8- 2 1/2 by 8 1/2 strips

And this is where it goes wrong. I only got:
4- 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 strips
and what was left over after cutting the 8 1/2 strips was 4- 2 1/2 x 4" strips.

A fat quarter is 18x21, so how can 8 1/2 + 8 1/2 have a 4 1/2" strip left over?

So...now I need to figure out how to salvage this pattern as one of my six fat quarters are already cut and I can't replace that fabric. Can someone help me.

the bad things of fat qtrs. and patterns. fat qtrs. are getting smaller because the width of fabrics is getting skinnier. They used to be 18x22 inches. Sometimes I will say that the way you turn your fabric depends on how your cuts will work. I did the Wickedly Easy quilt and my fabrics had been washed. mistake!! I had to sew some skinny strips of left overs (two colors) together to get the width strip the pattern called for in some cases. about two of my fabrics were too small to get the cuts required. all I can say is good luck!! get some more colors that will "go" with your others and continue on.

Did you cut the rectangles based on the diagram shown? The B rectangles are cut out of the middle of the FQ. 8.5+8.5+4.5=21.5 Then the C rectangles are cut from 1 strip + the end of each of the Bs. Sounds like you need to turn your FQ a quarter turn?

I laid out my fabric and cut it exactly like it showed with the 18" side facing my stomach. My fat quartered measured 18x21 as stated in her diagram. I have the 2- 21" long pieces so I know I cut it in the correct direction. But after cutting the two 8.5" pieces, all that is left at the ends are 4". (which would equal 21")

I had exactly 7 strips to work with as shown in the diagram. The only thing that doesn't fit is that it shows I should get 4 1/2" off the ends of the two strips of 8.5, but I don't. I only had 4" left.

Is there any way to salvage this pattern? Or my already cut fabric?

Sounds like a mistake in the instructions. Hope you can figure out a good save!

I was not able to download the pattern - but I was thinking/wondering -

After cutting the two 2:5 x 21 inch strips -

If you made the next cut 8.5 x 21 inches - then cut that piece into 8.5 x2.5 inc pieces.

Theoretically, there should be a strip 4.5 x21 inches left.

If your FQs were wonky, or skimpy, then there will not be that much left.

That layout if definitely wrong. You need to stack the 8.5" pieces horizontally in a column and the 4.5" pieces horizontally in a column right next to them. So they would be going horizontally as opposed to the long strips which are going vertical in the layout drawing. Does that make sense to you? I am not sure how clear that explanation is but I hope you can figure it out. That's the only way I can see to fit those pieces in that fat quarter.

Thank you so to those that helped! I called a dear friend that got me started in quilting to begin with. I was almost in tears, and I emailed her the link and she said let her look at it a few minutes and she would call me back. When she called me back, she had the answer. She said to cut the two 2.5 x 21" strips, then to cut an 8.5 x 21" strip and then a 4.5 x 21" strip and then to cut my 2.5 pieces off each strip. Sure enough, I was able to get the correct pieces from cutting that way!

I think she was thinking along the same lines as you Bearisgray and KLO.

I feel SO relieved. I can use a small scrap in the first fat quarter to lengthen the pieces of 4" cuts to 4 1/2 and I can "make" it work, then cut the rest of the fat quarters the new way. *whew* I have to say, that I'm surprised I'm the first to notice the mistake in their pattern, and wondering why the cuts were made more difficult than they had to be? Oh well...I'm just glad there was a way to fix it and that I had my friend and the board to turn to. Thank you.