2007-01-26 07:16:16 · 6 answers · asked by Lorri H 1 in Games & Recreation ➔ Hobbies & Crafts
Fat quarters are a *single continuous piece* of fabric (equaling one-quarter of a yard in area... generally a rectangle that's close to a square in shape).
When you buy fabric from a retail quilt store, each fat quarter of fabric is often rolled up and tied nicely with a ribbon around it. They're usually put out so that quilters will not feel they're spending too much money
Quilt "blocks" on the other hand are units, often square, in which at least two fabrics (could be many more) have been cut into shapes then sewed together to make a pattern or a picture.
So.... you might buy "fat quarters" of several fabrics so that you wouldn't have to buy more than 1/4 yard of each, and from those fat quarters you could make a quilt block or two.
It usually takes a number of "blocks" to make a traditional quilt... but the blocks can be all the same or different.
Traditional quilts may also have strips of fabric between the blocks ("lattices"), and once all the blocks (and lattices, etc.) have been sewed together, another strip of fabric may be sewed all around as a framing element ("borders").
That's the most traditional type of "pieced" quilt though, not "applique" or "whole cloth" or many other often "modern"-style quilts.
Diane B.
2007-01-26 11:08:24 · answer #1 · answered by Diane B. 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
a fat quarter is a way of measuring and cutting fabric. if you went to a store and just bought one quarter of a yard, you'd get a piece 9" wide (1/4 of 36 inches, a yard). a fat quarter takes one half yard, 18", and cuts it in two crosswise, so you get more of a square piece of fabric. this way you have more room for larger cuts of pattern pieces. most quilt fabrics are 45" wide, so a fat quarter of that would be 18" x 22".
a quilt block, on the other hand, is a chunk of quilt you've made. generally they are even measurements, but they can be rectangles etc depending on the pattern you are making. several blocks would be joined together along with edges and/or binding to make a full quilt.
2007-01-26 23:18:49 · answer #2 · answered by velvt_wi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A fat quarter is 18" x 20". The size of a quilting block can vary, where a fat quarter is standard.
2007-01-26 07:37:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
.A fat quarter is a quarter of a square yard 18" x18" a quilt block is the size of each block making up your quilt usually 12" x 12" but can vary depending on your pattern
2007-01-26 08:04:51 · answer #4 · answered by pughugger 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fabric - I agree with the previous. It's a question also of Marketing. Quilt shops sell to quilters, and sell ranges that go with each other for harmony in a quilt. I used dress fabric quite happily before. Quilting thread can be a thick one for hand quilting, but some are marked for either hand or machine use. I find the hand quilting threads quite useful also for sewing on buttons as they are quite tough.
2016-05-24 02:39:10 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fat quarters I just bought are 18 X 22''. Four fat quarters equal a yard, I guess.
2007-01-26 10:34:22 · answer #6 · answered by cowgirl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋