Luv Quilts and Cats

I have used jelly rolls and charm packs. I like the variety of fabrics you get in the pack. I haven't used a layer cake yet, but just bought a book that uses them. Can't wait to get a layer cake and start. It will have to wait, though as I don't have the extra money right now. As far as jelly rolls, if you want to make your own, it's easy. Even making charms and layer cakes is easy. So it's up to you. If you want to try it, jump in and buy something that really excites you.

Sewnoma

So far the only precuts I've bought have been Hoffman Bali packs, which I LOVE (no duplicates, 40 different coordinating batik strips per pack), and I've also picked up some 5" charms and 2-1/2 strips from Connecting Threads when they were on clearance - I practically stole those.

I buy the Hoffman Bali packs from Beverlys.com; they're almost always on sale for $29.99. Not exactly cheap, but for a nice sampling of gorgeous & good quality batiks it's something I spoil myself with every now and then. In the store (Beverly's is local to me) they're $39.99, so it's worth buying them online.

bigsister63

I have bought a jelly roll and there werre NO duplicates. A big advantage of getting any precut is that you get a big variety of colors/patterns. pattern I had called for 40 2 1/4". Just the thought choosing 40 cordinating fabrics gave me a headach (besides the fact that I would spend $$ for fabric I didn not need). So I ordered jelly roll and was very pleased with the fabric selection that I got. I never would have picked some of the patters/colors on my own let alone ever found them. They are well worth it depending on if you want to make a scrappy top using them.

bigsister63

I am now going to buy ONLY 1yd of fabric. This is based on a recent experience of wanting to make a certain pattern and only having 1/2 of 2 fabrics that I want to use and really needing 3/4yds. Now I have to go out and find similiar fabric. I am not a big fan if fat quarters and this is why. Fortunately there is a shop hop in my area so I guess that I will have to go on it looking for the fabric I need!

bigsister63

Yes it is cheaper if you have the fabric you want to use. But if you go out to by 40 Fat Quarters @2.50/each =$100 and you can buy jelly roll with 40 strips for about $40. No left overs but also much cheaper! You can always add strips or squares from you statsh to your precuts if you need more blocks/strips.

Wanabee Quiltin

I do love them all. Jelly rolls are 2 1/2 strips of a particular line of fabric or a roll of blue fabric for instance. Charm squares are 5 inch pieces of fabric from a line and layer cakes are 10 inch pieces of fabric from a line. I have used them all and I absolutely love them. Eleanor Burns might design 35 fabrics in a special line and they will have one piece of each fabric, sometimes 2 of a few and sometimes all might be different. I just made my DGS a quilt using Benartex Bali Dark layer cakes and there is no way I could have cut the 10 inch squares from all those fabrics. But I bought them in a layer cake and got them all. Same goes with charm squares, you get 40 different fabrics and mix them with a background, sashing and cornerstones and you can make a beautiful quilt. I think it depends on your quilting style if you like them or not. I have had tremendous luck in making some beautiful quilts with precuts.

pocoellie

I've never bought precuts, although I have had some precuts gifted to me. Here are two of my reasons for not purchasing them, 1-expense, 2-the batik jelly rolls that I received as a gift, I had to trim them down because they weren't straight. A lot of people buy the precuts, but I simply wouldn't, you pay dearly for them cutting the fabric.

Becca J

Jodie gives an excellent reference.

http://www.unitednotions.com/equivalent-measures.pdf

I frequently feel a bit wooly headed when around folks tossing off terms (like jelly rolls and sweetbox), causing me to stop and think about what they are trying to tell me. Although I prefer to buy yardage and cut my own, precuts have their place. Sometimes it's fun to make a little project from a pre-matched bundle (for example, Quilt-in-a-day's Buckeye Beauty wall hanging using 5" layer cake bundles). Just note: when buying a bundle pay attention to how many are included. I have found this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and store to store.

quilttiger

Precuts are nice to have, especially for those who have arthritis and no longer can use a rotary cutter without pain. AccuQuiltGo is a neat and easy way to make your own precuts.

sparkys_mom

I like precuts for the variety they offer but they are more expensive when you figure the cost per yard. An exception to this is Connecting Threads. Their precuts are the same price per yard as their yardage. Probably my favorite way to get the variety of a line is to purchase fat quarter or fat eighth bundles.