Fat Quarters June 23, 2011 DIY, Home Decor, Sewing 16 Comments 12888 That’s not a weird way of saying I’ve got a lot of coin, but rather the material I used to make this super-de-duper table runner. My friend Amy and I were tooling around town looking for trouble when we found ourselves in a fabric store. Do you think it’s weird that trouble lies in a fabric store? I sort of do, but our husbands would disagree. In any case, we came across some lovely Amy Butler fabric but were afraid to buy any for fear of messing it up. We’re pretty amateur seamstresses. On a little display table, though, was a basket of fat quarters. If you’re a quilter you know what a fat quarter is, but if you don’t it’s basically a square of fabric (I’ve seen them in different sizes I think) that is pre-cut and sold at a flat price/quarter. You’ll often see bundles of them in coordinating patterns/colors sold as a set. These happened to be 5/$10, mix and match. Amy: I looooove this fabric. Maybe I could recover that chair that Blu [the cat] destroyed in something like this. Rachael: That would be SO cute. Do you want to get some? Amy: Nah it’s kind of pricey, and I’ll probably eff it up. Plus it’s not really upholstery fabric. Rachael (looking at basket of fat quarters): Let’s get fat quarters and make a table runner! Amy: YES! Seriously I have no idea why I blurted out that idea, but we were both so stoked about it that we spent the next 30 minutes picking out the 5 most perfect coordinating squares (polka dots-you’re out…no wait, you’re back in). Amy chose blue and green (shocker!), and I went a little crazy with some peachy pinks and purples. I’m not even going to show you the step-by-step because this was so stinking easy. Just pin all your squares together in a row (right sides together!) and sew each seam, then trim the whole runner to the width you want and hem all the edges. My table is rather wide, so I only cut off about 4″. Five pieces seemed to be perfect for my table length, but you may need more or less. It’s not really an exact science (you know how I feel about measuring). What you’ll end up with is a super cute $10 table runner! *********Linked Up********* 16 Responses Kristin June 23, 2011 Total awesomeness! That’s the perfect amount of sewing I ever really want to do… You know, just barely having to sew at all! Now, where to find me some fat quarters, because my dining room table is really boooooring! Reply wendy June 23, 2011 You can buy them at ANY fabric shop, online or in the flesh. If they don’t have them specifically laid you, you can ask for them. Reply cherri August 12, 2013 just stumbled onto your blog from another log. wanted to say tho-if it’s pre cut fabric you gals are looking for (I am not affiliated with ANY OF THEM) you might try these online sites: Missouri Star Quilt Co. or Connecting Threads, Favorite Fabrics, A Thousand Bolts. Moda or Fabric.com. I admit to doing most of my online shopping at A Thousand Bolts and Missouri Star Quilt Co. but lov all these sites. There are tutorials for every skill range at Missouri Star Quilts too. love your blog. Reply wendy June 23, 2011 Lovely table runner, good on you for giving it a go. A fat quarter IS a fixed size. In the US they are a quarter of a yard. A long quarter is a quarter of the yard across the width of the fabric (something like 44 x 11 inches) and a fat quarter is as if you folded the yard in half and then half the other way so it’s about 22 x 22 inches. In the UK, Canada and other metric-using countries, we get a bit more as a fat quarter is quarter of a metre. Reply Lovely Crafty Home June 23, 2011 Wendy- Thanks for the clarification, I think I have come across the long quarter as well but I didn’t know there was a different term. I figured sometimes the bolts are different widths and that might have something to do with it lol. Reply Beth June 23, 2011 What a great use of fat quarters! I love fat quarters; so many possibilities! Reply Kassi @ Truly Lovely June 23, 2011 That IS super cute! I love fat quarters… I always pick up a few in cute fabric and end up using them for something… Reply Ami w/AliLilly June 24, 2011 This is so great, Rachael! I LOVE IT! IT looks great on your table too! 🙂 Reply ElisabethAndree June 24, 2011 oh how nicely done1 I do like that combination of the various fabrics:) Reply Haley June 26, 2011 I really love this! I have lots of extra fabric sitting around, and this is the perfect way to use it! Thanks so much for sharing! Reply cindy August 28, 2011 Hi- this is my first time to your blog and I love it! I am a beginning quilter and have a question I think you can answer. I’m making a quilt for my 2yr old granddaughter and I’m using fat quarters to assemble the quilt. I have been finding more and more that even though the peices look even cut in the package, when I sew them together they are not all the same size. Is this a problem that is universal and I shouldn’t question my beginner quilting skills or is there something else I should be doing? I’m joining your blog. Thanks cindy Reply Lovely Crafty Home August 28, 2011 I wish I could help Cindy, but I am not a quilter myself at all! From what I know, I think there are fat quarters and long quarters or something and perhaps what you’re getting is a mix? Reply With a Doily on Top | Weddingbee October 20, 2011 […] Image via TaterTotsAndJello.com / Table runner by Lovely Crafty Home […] Reply Tutorial: Coffee Filter Flowers and Valentine’s Decor February 11, 2012 […] heart project and gathered some things around the house to put it all together. It started with my fat quarter table runner instead of my usual […] Reply Spring Foyer March 29, 2012 […] As usual, I tried to use and rework things I already have- including the “new” runner which I finally put together. I actually bought the fat quarters last SEPTEMBER. I made it the same way I did my other pink/purple fat quarter runner. […] Reply Great Ideas -- Inspiring Projects!! November 8, 2012 […] Desk Button Up by Pink Calaveras Striped Office Chair at Life.Love.Larson Easy Sew Table Runner by Lovely Crafty Home Rosette Lamp by Shelstring Pallet Headboard by Save it for a Rainy Day […] Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. CAPTCHA Code * Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Check here to Subscribe to notifications for new posts
Kristin June 23, 2011 Total awesomeness! That’s the perfect amount of sewing I ever really want to do… You know, just barely having to sew at all! Now, where to find me some fat quarters, because my dining room table is really boooooring! Reply
wendy June 23, 2011 You can buy them at ANY fabric shop, online or in the flesh. If they don’t have them specifically laid you, you can ask for them. Reply
cherri August 12, 2013 just stumbled onto your blog from another log. wanted to say tho-if it’s pre cut fabric you gals are looking for (I am not affiliated with ANY OF THEM) you might try these online sites: Missouri Star Quilt Co. or Connecting Threads, Favorite Fabrics, A Thousand Bolts. Moda or Fabric.com. I admit to doing most of my online shopping at A Thousand Bolts and Missouri Star Quilt Co. but lov all these sites. There are tutorials for every skill range at Missouri Star Quilts too. love your blog. Reply
wendy June 23, 2011 Lovely table runner, good on you for giving it a go. A fat quarter IS a fixed size. In the US they are a quarter of a yard. A long quarter is a quarter of the yard across the width of the fabric (something like 44 x 11 inches) and a fat quarter is as if you folded the yard in half and then half the other way so it’s about 22 x 22 inches. In the UK, Canada and other metric-using countries, we get a bit more as a fat quarter is quarter of a metre. Reply
Lovely Crafty Home June 23, 2011 Wendy- Thanks for the clarification, I think I have come across the long quarter as well but I didn’t know there was a different term. I figured sometimes the bolts are different widths and that might have something to do with it lol. Reply
Beth June 23, 2011 What a great use of fat quarters! I love fat quarters; so many possibilities! Reply
Kassi @ Truly Lovely June 23, 2011 That IS super cute! I love fat quarters… I always pick up a few in cute fabric and end up using them for something… Reply
Ami w/AliLilly June 24, 2011 This is so great, Rachael! I LOVE IT! IT looks great on your table too! 🙂 Reply
ElisabethAndree June 24, 2011 oh how nicely done1 I do like that combination of the various fabrics:) Reply
Haley June 26, 2011 I really love this! I have lots of extra fabric sitting around, and this is the perfect way to use it! Thanks so much for sharing! Reply
cindy August 28, 2011 Hi- this is my first time to your blog and I love it! I am a beginning quilter and have a question I think you can answer. I’m making a quilt for my 2yr old granddaughter and I’m using fat quarters to assemble the quilt. I have been finding more and more that even though the peices look even cut in the package, when I sew them together they are not all the same size. Is this a problem that is universal and I shouldn’t question my beginner quilting skills or is there something else I should be doing? I’m joining your blog. Thanks cindy Reply
Lovely Crafty Home August 28, 2011 I wish I could help Cindy, but I am not a quilter myself at all! From what I know, I think there are fat quarters and long quarters or something and perhaps what you’re getting is a mix? Reply
With a Doily on Top | Weddingbee October 20, 2011 […] Image via TaterTotsAndJello.com / Table runner by Lovely Crafty Home […] Reply
Tutorial: Coffee Filter Flowers and Valentine’s Decor February 11, 2012 […] heart project and gathered some things around the house to put it all together. It started with my fat quarter table runner instead of my usual […] Reply
Spring Foyer March 29, 2012 […] As usual, I tried to use and rework things I already have- including the “new” runner which I finally put together. I actually bought the fat quarters last SEPTEMBER. I made it the same way I did my other pink/purple fat quarter runner. […] Reply
Great Ideas -- Inspiring Projects!! November 8, 2012 […] Desk Button Up by Pink Calaveras Striped Office Chair at Life.Love.Larson Easy Sew Table Runner by Lovely Crafty Home Rosette Lamp by Shelstring Pallet Headboard by Save it for a Rainy Day […] Reply