What Are Fat Quarters and Fat Eighths?
Two common precut fabrics-fat quarters and fat eighths-are found in a majority of quilt shops. Quilters find these sizes provide versatility for cutting pieces, templates, or strips than the traditional 1⁄4-yard and 1⁄8-yard cuts.
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Fat Quarter
Although a traditional 1⁄4-yard cut and a fat-quarter cut contain the same amount of fabric, they differ in shape. A traditional 1⁄4-yard cut measures 9×42". A fat quarter is cut crosswise from a 1⁄2-yard piece of fabric-an 18×44" rectangle cut in half to yield an 18×21" "fat" 1⁄4-yard piece.
Fat Eighth
Although a traditional 1⁄8-yard cut and a fat-eighth cut contain the same amount of fabric, they differ in shape. A traditional 1⁄8-yard cut is 4-1⁄2×42". A fat eighth is cut crosswise from a 1⁄4-yard piece of fabric-a 9×42" rectangle cut in half to make a 9×21" "fat" 1⁄8-yard piece.
Love fat quarters? Use them in these free quilt patterns!
Or grab a bundle of fat eighths for these free quilt patterns.
