fat quarters

Another newbie question...

I was in a fabric store the other day that caters mostly to quilters, and my eye was caught by all the "fat quarters." I couldn't resist buying some, as it was a cheap(er) way to get some of the excellent fabrics this store carries.

I turned mine into napkins, but what else are fat quarters good for? I'm not up to quilting yet, don't need more napkins, don't want to make doll clothes, don't sew patches on my clothing... any other suggestions?

Christmas decorations -- great idea! We could use more, so it's actually a reasonable thing for me to spend money on. Thanks!

Just did several christmas tree skirts for family gifts from Fat Quarters. I also use them for gores in skirts, yokes on shirts, cuffs and collars, anywhere a bit fancy fabric can be used. A fat quarter of a co-ordinating fabric for a facing that might be seen or for adding length to a too short skirt, or pants. Towels can be matched to the decor in a bathroom by putting a band of fabric around the woven part of the towel. Curtain valances, pillows, lots of home dec items only need a small amount of fabric and the price is great if you want some of the more pricey prints.

As Kate suggested, Xmas decor. One of my neighbors covered over 300 styrofoam balls for tree decorations one year. I know this because she gave me a whole box full of leftover fabric! Almost all tiny prints, a few checks. Summer clothes for the DGKs will come out of that box. She had not bought fat quarters, but yardage.

Jean M.

I was avoiding suggesting a complete quilt in favour of smaller projects. For now... ;P

QUILTING!!!! LOL Kate may have suggested that as well (haven't gotten to her message yet) as both she and I are members of rec.crafts.textiles.quilting

Larisa

Jean D Mahavier wrote:

I'm sensing a certain pressure!

I've never done quilting. Is it difficult? I only have little bursts of time to do sewing (I have a three-year-old), so I can't do any projects that need a lot of attention paid to them.

One idea I had: I could make a mat for a baby to play on. Padded, like a quilt, but smaller. Maybe five fat quarters by five fat quarters, with a border? I could just sew them together as they are (after trimming them to squares). Does that make sense? Any tips for a novice?

Thanks!

Sara, that sounds like a great idea. You wouldn't have to trim them to squares, either, the may wouldn't have to be square. I'll bet your 3yo would 'help' and begin learning about sewing.

Jean M.

Oh, that's a good idea! He could help me arrange the fabric. Last time I was sewing (just hemming napkins) he was in charge of putting the pins back in pin jar, and then handing them to me when I was doing the next one.

Yet another newbie question: if I'm using the fat quarters for a small quilt, do they need to be washed before I sew them? I know that's important when sewing something, um, shaped, but since they're all just rectangles, can I get away with not washing them first? It's so much easier to sew them when they're all tidy and flat and not frayed... and I hate ironing...

That's a great idea! And after you've done it, you will have actually made a quilt...maybe not a complicated, intricate quilt, but a quilt nonetheless.

My tip would be to get some good basic quiltmaking instructions. There are hundreds of wonderful quilt books, but for what you're proposing to do, the general directions section in any good quilt magazine likely would be sufficient. You can find Quilters Newsletter, Quiltmaker, American Patchwork & Quilting, et al at Wal-Mart, a bookstore, or your quilt shop. Just browse until you find one that you really like. (I made my first quilt with nothing to go by but a 1974 specialty magazine from McCalls. Still have the magazine, and the quilt.)

Just be warned...if you enjoy the process, and the results, it's addictive! We know what you mean about having only little bursts of time--we've been there--but quilting can simmer in your head for years, and one of these days, when you can choose how to use the hours in your day, you may find yourself doing something like this:

Some quilters will only use prewashed fabric, some dont, some will mix washed and unwashed in the same quilt (gasp). You will find which you prefer working with and do as you please. If you use unwashed then when you do wash the finished quilt you will get a more wrinkled looking quilt, which is something some quilters prefer. Washed and ironed fabrics are almost done with their shrinking so the finished project will stay a bit more smooth. Some chose to wash their fabric first since fabric can have chemicals on them that some find irritating to their skin. Its all up to you. Diana (quilter, lurking to learn garment construction)

Sara Lorimer wrote:

Thanks for explaining that. Since the recipient is going to be throwing up -- among other things -- on the quilt, I don't think I'll bother washing it until it's all sewn together. Wrinkles will be the least of what the quilt's going to face...

That is beautiful Doreen. The song along with it makes it even more meaningful. John in SC

Sorry to show my ignorance, but what is a fat quarter? John in SC

Thanks, John. We bought Bill Staines' CD with the song. It's so happy and catchy--I read somewhere that "A Place in the Choir" is a favorite for singing around campfires--but even better, I think its message of inclusion is a good one for a child to grow up with.

Doreen in Alabama

A regular quarter yard of fabric is 9" x the width of the fabric, usually around 42-45". A half yard, 18" x the width, split vertically through the middle, makes a fat quarter--18" x 21+" or so. For many things quilters do, a piece of fabric in those dimensions is more useful than a regular quarter yard. Sometimes not. Just depends on the fabric's intended use.

They are also often called quilters quarters.

Doreen in Alabama

Don't count on FQs being square or rectangular: they can be decidely squiffy if the fabric's been distorted on the bolt. They look OK until you wash out the sizing and the fabric can relax to where it wants to be.

Wash and dry them, then trim them. Best, fastest way is using a rotary cutter: you can stack them and cut several at once. Then you'll know they're all the same size.

What a beauty, Doreen! Emily

I don't know if anyone watches Sewing with Nancy on PBS. Last week's program was making sweatshirt jackets with guest Mary Mulari. One of the jackets they made had prairie points down the front to hide the buttons. That's another way to use FQs,in my opinion. The fabric could all be the same or different ones that the colors coordinate. Emily