Guide
Plan a quilt from your stash
Sort what you have into lights, mediums and darks, measure each piece, and pick a block that suits the amounts. The background needs the most fabric, so start with your biggest light piece. A fat quarter (about 18″ × 22″) gives 12 squares of 4½″ or 48 squares of 2½″.
Step by step
- Sort by value, not colour. Make three piles: light, medium, dark. A quilt reads by contrast, so your piles matter more than matching hues.
- Measure. Note each piece as width × length, or count fat quarters (18″ × 22″) and fat eighths (9″ × 22″).
- Pick a block that fits the piles. Lots of small pieces suit nine patch, four patch and log cabin. A big light piece suits stars, where the background takes most of the fabric.
- Try it before you cut. Photograph each fabric with your phone and put the photos into the quilt in Patchwise. The photos stay on your phone.
- Check the numbers. The shopping list shows, for each fabric, whether it fits in fat quarters and how many cuts one fat quarter gives.
What fits in a fat quarter
Planned on a usable 17″ × 20″ after trimming the edges.
| Cut | Pieces from one fat quarter | Pieces from a fat eighth (8″ × 20″) |
|---|---|---|
| 2½″ squares | 48 | 24 |
| 3½″ squares | 20 | 10 |
| 4½″ squares | 12 | 4 |
| 5″ squares | 12 | 4 |
| 6½″ squares | 6 | 3 |
| 2½″ strips | 6 strips × 20″ | 3 strips × 20″ |
Questions
How many fat quarters make a quilt?
A throw usually takes 12–20 fat quarters for the top, plus background and border yardage. A queen takes 30–45. Scrappy blocks like nine patch and log cabin use fat quarters best.
Can I mix fabrics of different weights?
Stick to quilting cotton of similar weight in one quilt. Shirting and voile stretch and fray; linen blends shrink differently. Pre-wash anything you’re unsure of.
What if I run out of one fabric?
Plan a second fabric of the same value and similar colour and spread it through the quilt from the start. Swapping halfway through always shows.
Updated November 9, 2026