When I was a young, neophyte quilter (okay that was only a couple years ago, but just work with me here) I quickly developed a love affair with pre-cuts. Charm squares and jelly rolls were the answer to all my problems, since at the time I couldn’t manage to cut anything in a straight line, even with good rulers and a full night’s sleep. And, because they came already color coordinated, I didn’t have to do any thinking at all! And that was perfect for a stay-at-home mom trying to teach herself to quilt while wrangling two small kids and a part-time telecommuting job.
As the kids got a little older and my quilting skills got a little better (well, a lot better, really), I began to rely on pre-cuts less and less. I preferred the accuracy of my own strips and I liked choosing from different lines of fabrics. I still buy layer cakes and jelly rolls occasionally, especially in solids of red, white, and black. Those are great to have on hand all ready to go when you suddenly have to get a quilt made super quick (and in the age of Facebook, when you can suddenly find out that your third cousin just had a baby only hours before and you need to whip up a baby quilt, like, yesterday, that tends to happen a lot). But my lingering obsession, one which I fear shows no signs of abating, are fat quarter bundles.
I cannot resist a stack of fabrics all folded neatly and sometimes tied with a lovely ribbon. I could never afford the same array of fabrics in full yards, so fat quarters give me the thrill of a full fabric line (or at least one colorway of a full line) with a price I can (sometimes) afford, with the added versatility of the fat quarter cut size. But I shall never leave charm squares and jelly rolls behind. Not while I have two short people in my house who want to learn to make their own quilts and get all excited when they see a nice little stack of Halloween or Christmas-themed squares. I know just how they feel.
We wanted to know what some of our friends out there in Q-Celeb world think of pre-cuts and here’s what they had to say:
Kate Spain: My favorite precut is a layer cake. If you love a collection, but don’t have a project in mind right away, I think a layer cake offers the widest range of cutting possibilities for when you do finally settle on what to make. It’s also great because if a collection has large scale prints, you can use the whole 10″ square to really show it off!
Bari J.: I think that fat quarter cuts are the most versatile. I tend to buy fabric just because I like it, with no plan in mind. So, it’s best for me to have cuts of a decent size. Plus fat quarters are really easy to make into bags.
Heather Jones: My favorite precut is a stack of fat quarters. I don’t buy too many precuts, but when I find a line of fabric that I love, it’s hard not to resist. I think fat quarters are a great way to get a lot of bang out of the fabric because you can do so much with cuts that size; you can leave them large and put together a fun patchwork, you can cut them into strips for log cabins and stacked coin quilts, or you can cut them up into even smaller pieces for endless types of piecing.
Tula Pink: I am an obsessive fussy cutter so pre-cuts don’t really fit my style so much. The only precuts I keep on deck are fat quarter bundles. Fat quarter bundles are a great archive of a fabric collection. You can do just about anything with them and still have enough room to isolate features of the fabrics in a really specific way. I am a fabric lover first. I only make stuff to clear out space so I can collect more fabric.
Jessica Levitt: I almost never use pre-cuts because when I design a quilt I do it based on an idea, not a size of fabric. However, if I had to choose I would say I find jelly rolls the most useful. I do like to strip piece and then cut the strips into different shapes, so it’s nice to have them already cut to size and fun to get a whole collection right in a roll.
Victoria Findlay Wolfe: I’ve never been one to buy pre-cuts before. I’m a person who buys more than a yard of everything I love, (which is a very bad habit, because it leads to an enormous stash!)
A few years ago I purchased four Kaffe layer cakes which I saved for at least three years before I dug them out and sewed them together just to get them out of my studio. I used all of it to make one KING size quilt. King size is oh so satisfying!
This past summer I was given two charm packs of a line of fabric. I quickly cut them into bits and sewed them back together for a small project just to get rid of them. Of course I loved the small project, and it has now grown to another KING size quilt. Which, by the way, led to the purchase of 8 yards more of that fabric line, to make it….
Sigh.
Darn those pre-cuts! My closets runneth over with KING SIZED quilts!
Weeks Ringle: We’ve never used a pre-cut because we almost always mix lines. I can imagine that they are very convenient but the quilt we just finished and will debut at Market had 26 different fabrics in it, each from a different line. In the afterlife I’m hoping that they’ll have a giant room full of every fabric ever printed. There will be a sign that says “Help yourself” and I’ll be able to sew all day because there won’t be any housework, paperwork or deadlines.
So, TELL US: do you have a love affair with pre-cuts? What type do you like the best?
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I laughed at Tula Pink’s response of making stuff to clear out space so she can collect more fabric. that cracked me up!
I used to be a charm square girl and I’ve grown to fat quarter packs if I buy a line. More possibilities.
I’ve only just started to get hooked on pre-cuts, but I can see the attraction. They’re so convenient! My first was a jelly roll and I loved using it, but I could see the limitations. Fat quarter bundles win, by far.
I never used to buy precuts because, like many of those above, I prefer to choose my own fabrics from my stash or buy for a specific quilt. However, recently there have been so many great lines coming out and I’ve started to see the appeal of a fun and quicker quilt with fabrics already chosen. I’ve purchased a few charm packs and a layer cake, but haven’t put them together yet – they are moving up the list, though
I don’t have a lot of room to actually quilt what I make, and I can’t afford to have someone else do it, so I tend to stick with crib and lap quilts. The occasional jelly roll or charm pack finds it’s way into my hands as a starting point for something, and sometimes even a pack of fat quarters, but my favorite thing to do is to walk into a quilt hop and browse their fat quarters for inspiration. And my daughter (who is almost 6) has been picking out her own fat quarters for a few years now. Before we walk into a store I have to negotiate the number of FQs she is allowed to get, and I must ssay I’m impressed with how well she does. She’ll grab two or three fabrics that I would never think to put in the same room, and they’ll go together great for a doll quilt.
Well I can appreciate fat quarter bundles, but I think it gives me option overload, and my brain gets a little bit stuck working out how I’m going to use it all (just ask a few bundles I have sitting there…) I have some charm packs and jelly rolls as a kind of ‘quick access to a line’ option, but I think layer cakes are my favourite way to get hold of a line of fabric without a whole ‘WTH am I going to do with it all?’ moment
At this point in my life, charm packs almost always win out. There are so many lines out there that I’d like to play with, so instead of choosing just one or two of them and splurging on layer cakes or fat quarter bundles, I buy a good number of charm packs every year. I’ve found that I’m usually just as satisfied working with small snippet pieces from collections than I am with the larger cuts of fabric. Also, I have such angst about cutting into the larger pre-cuts. They seem like such a big commitment.
I have bought charm packs and won a jelly roll with a layer cake in a giveaway once. I used the layer cake in a quilt of mostly solids and used parts of the jelly roll as binding (sadly, it was the quilt I exhibited in an “Ugly Quilt” contest) and any charm packs I’ve purchased I given away. I just did a giveaway of two Tula Pink charm packs actually. As much as I loved that particular fabric, every time I pulled them out to use them, where wasn’t enough of the fabric to be useful in my application.
Like Victoria, I buy yardage. That way, I’m not restricted to how and in what I can use the fabric and can combine it any way I like.
I also agree that this leads to a HUGE stash. *happy sigh*
Fat quarters have been the smallest pre-cut I’ve bought in a while. Call me crazy, but I really enjoy cutting fabric. It is one of my favorite parts of the quilting process. Also, my seams tend to be more accurate when I cut my own. I think it’s those pinked edges, they play with my eyes and I dont always get my pieces lined up correctly.
I am both a fat quarter and a 3 to 6 yarder. Is yarder a word? I love whole lines and what better way to get it all then a fat quarter pack. I love applique’ so most of my designs have an appliqued border so I need 3 yards for borders. But if I really love it I might want to put my border fabric in the quilt so I need 3 more yards just in case. As you may have already figured out, I have stash. I share.
I LOVE Fat quarters! I “collect” way too many of them! I had to move my home office out of my second bedroom because my stash took over and didn’t want to share. I also love the other precuts. I can create a project to make with just about anything if only I had more time!
If I really like a line of fabric, I will buy a FQ bundle so I can have them all. Sometimes I will buy a charm pack to see all the fabrics in a line. Otherwise I just buy a yard or two of fabric that catches my eye.
Love your celebrity collection and the comments so far. I have at least one project in the sewing room for each type of precut waiting for time to begin.
Tula Pink’s response about being a fabric lover first and only making stuff to clear out space to collect more fabric is totally my MO too! I hardly ever buy pre-cuts as I never have a plan for fabric when I’m buying it, but when I do, fat quarters are the go-to. I agree with Megan, there is something irresistible about getting one of each fabric stacked so neatly and tied with a pretty bow. Its quilter’s candy!
I like to buy fat quarters ala carte because they are an affordable stash supplement when I need more of a certain color. If we’re talking “packs” of an entire collection, I agree with Kate Spain that Layer Cakes are the way to go and the most versatile. I could never afford a FQ pack of an entire collection, and it would just be way too much fabric from one collection–I would never be able to use it all. Of course, I prefer scrappy bits and pieces quilts, so I like more variety of smaller pieces for my stash.
I tend to buy yardage (on sale), but every so often I am smitten with a fq bundle that screams “buy me”. What’s a quilter to do?
Well, the only precuts I think I’ve ever bought was a couple of charm packs & a jelly roll, just for a specific project. But, since I’m currently enamored of the Jelly Roll Race quilt, today I’d go for some jelly rolls!
I like pre-cuts for gifts for other quilters. While I like the thought of them and the possibility of getting an entire fabric line in one, inexpensive purchase I much prefer to mix, match and play with my stash.
Oh, and I like to play with thread, most of my personal quilts have been whole cloth lately.
Teri
I love all the answers, but Weeks Ringle’s is my favorite answer! Yes, I hope our after life is just what she describes! THAT would be heavenly.
Nicely done as usual Ms. Meagan! You are always full of fun! Thanks!
I have an unhealthy obsession with fat quarters! I should probably seek help but that’s just not going to happen. In fact, I’m going to go buy some more right now!
I LOVE fat quarter bundles but I always wind up with more than a couple of leftovers that I really don’t like and don’t go with anything else in my entire Stash (and yes I have a Stash with a capital S!). Since the recession hit, and it has hit me solidly, I have turned to half-yard cuts because they’re about the price of one fat quarter, and I get to enjoy my leftovers!
Pre-cuts are great if you’re out buying a gift for a fellow fabric lover, have limited stash space, have a favorite designer/brand you collect, and have limited shopping time. I usually buy yardage. And like to mix lines. Pre-cuts are special little treasures, all packaged and pretty. Fun to get, fun to give!
I’ve purchased charm packs, layer cakes, jelly rolls and even honey buns (1 1/2″ wide strips). I just gave away several. The only one I ever used was the honey bun, and the rest languish in the bottom of my tower o’ bins. I buy yardage (I have a LOT), and I like to put fabrics together myself rather than work within a line. Also, I usually like featuring the piecing more than the fabrics so many of the larger scale prints just don’t work for me. Believe me, I’ve tried – I have yards and yards of gorgeous fabrics that I just can’t work with. They’re pretty, though!