Quilt needs too much fabric?
03-12-2026, 07:27 AM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ballwin, MO
Posts: 4,603
I suppose it depends on a person's point of view. Maybe this person wants to eke out as many quilts as possible from her available fabric, whereas my aim is to use up as much fabric as possible making my quilts (so as to diminish the stash).
03-12-2026, 07:32 AM
#12
Power Poster
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 17,813
Yes that's it. I ordered the three sizes from the quilt shop in 2009. Daisy and Grace are in England and sold the right for MS to produce the templates. Hickory Hill has the patent on the Hickory Nut templates. I don't know how that all works but the same technique is used for both. Daisy and Grace templates have different width of the border sizes. And I found a youtube tutorial how to make your own templates. Any template you use, it's addicting and a great way to use up scrap fabric and batting. I pre cut both hexies shapes, I don't fold fabric around the inset hexie.
03-12-2026, 07:38 AM
#13
Power Poster
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 17,813
One more thing. I don't press my fold overs, I finger press and use a clip to hold it in place. Match the miter corners together. Daisy and Grace have very detailed you tube videos on all the templates.
03-12-2026, 04:52 PM
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: British Columbia
Posts: 2,640
Last year I went to two workshops on two consecutive days. Day one was with Terry Rowland where I learned to make a "No Waste Braid". There was literally ZERO fabric trimmed from the quilt. The technique is very impressive in that way. On day two, I learned about the "Square-in-a-Square" technique. Trim, trim, trim. Cut large and trim down. Leftover trimmings that we were instructed to save for further use in tiny spaces. After the previous day it just seemed like so much waste!
Terry Rowland talked about the cost of fabric when pricing quilts. She talked about how quilters often say things such as, "it's all just scraps" and therefore downplay the cost. Remember, you paid per yard/meter for that fabric in the first place. Scrap quilts often have more seams and therefore more fabric. Working with the weight of the lightest cotton, there are 4 yards of fabric in a pound so weigh the quilt to figure out the number of yards and multiply by the cost of fabric per yard. Scraps are not free.
Terry Rowland talked about the cost of fabric when pricing quilts. She talked about how quilters often say things such as, "it's all just scraps" and therefore downplay the cost. Remember, you paid per yard/meter for that fabric in the first place. Scrap quilts often have more seams and therefore more fabric. Working with the weight of the lightest cotton, there are 4 yards of fabric in a pound so weigh the quilt to figure out the number of yards and multiply by the cost of fabric per yard. Scraps are not free.
03-12-2026, 05:55 PM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Dakotas
Posts: 3,143
Years ago I bought required fabric for a quilt pattern. It was a throw size and I honestly had enough left over to make the entire back ! I rechecked the pattern to see if I goofed ( I didn’t ). I hadn’t decided on a back so no harm done.
03-13-2026, 12:02 PM
#16
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 18,340
03-13-2026, 01:03 PM
#17
Power Poster
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 17,813
The free table at my guild always has bags of scrap fabric and bags of backing fabric strips and batting strips from the LAs in the group. If I need lots of scraps I get a couple of bags. Many meetings the bags of scraps are left, given to a charity shop. A member works at the library make it room and brings the left over scraps sewers leave behind. I was surprised that so many don't take their fabric leftovers. I don't mind having waste when using scraps.
03-13-2026, 04:31 PM
#18
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Happy Valley,Or
Posts: 104
Quiltneeds too much fabric?
Maybe she was just in a sour mood. Could not think of anything nice to say. Some people all they want to do is rain on your parade.. My mom was that way, she never could give you a complement. It's really sad some people live their lives without any joy in them.
03-15-2026, 05:45 AM
#19
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,670
The free table at my guild always has bags of scrap fabric and bags of backing fabric strips and batting strips from the LAs in the group. If I need lots of scraps I get a couple of bags. Many meetings the bags of scraps are left, given to a charity shop. A member works at the library make it room and brings the left over scraps sewers leave behind. I was surprised that so many don't take their fabric leftovers. I don't mind having waste when using scraps.
