How to Buy Fabric By the Yard

Looking to buy some fabric, online or in your local quilt shop?
Wondering exactly how fabric comes, and how big of a piece you will get when you order an amount of fabric?
Half yards, full yards, how big are those really?

We are here to discuss all that! Check out the video or continue reading...

How fabric comes:

Most fabric is folded double and then rolled onto a bolt. Most bolts are a standard size. The fabric on standard bolts is approximately 44 inches wide.  When you order a yard of fabric, that is 36 inches long.  The dimensions of a one yard cut of fabric is 36 x 44 inches.

What about a half yard?
Half of 36 (36 divided by 2) is 18, so a half yard is 18 inches long by 44 inches wide.

A quarter yard?
36 divided by 4 is 9, so a quarter yard is a 9 x 44" strip.

What if you want a quarter yard of fabric, but not in a narrow strip?
A fat quarter is the answer! 
2 fat quarters are made by cutting a half yard in half along its width.

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Some bolts are wider than 44"! 
Some garment fabrics are sold on larger bolts.  These wider fabrics usually measure 58-60" wide.
For these fabrics, if you ask for one yard, you'll get a piece that measures 36 x 58".

Hope this is helpful for your fabric shopping needs, and you're able to get just the amount you're looking for. 

Check out our selection of quilting cottons and garment fabrics, here.