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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Fat free

I have seen several mentions of buying fat quarters for the purpose of collecting stash for Kim's applique patterns. I thought I would offer my 2cents on why I think FAT quarters are not a wise purchase but regular quarters are, when it comes to doing Kim's quilts.

Especially on the Lollys but also in her other patterns, Kim does a lot of fussy cutting of pairs of images. In a regular quarter (9' x the width of the fabric) you get repeat patterns so, for example you can get 2 -4 of the same rose blossom. In a fat quarter (18" x 22") you usually dont get repeats so you are stuck with only one rose or maybe 1 and a half rose.

One other thing that most people dont realize, regular quarters are almost always cheaper than fats. Fats take more labor to cut and the shops do add on for that.

I am fat free ( I wish) in PA.
Liza
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17 comments:

  1. MarySeptember 4, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    I learned that fact when I started fussy cutting from the fat quarters. I began purchasing 1/2 yds awhile ago.

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  2. WillekeSeptember 4, 2010 at 11:07 AM

    Thanks very much for this very useful tip!

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  3. Pat SloanSeptember 4, 2010 at 12:30 PM

    ROFLOL... I SO SO SO love that title! What EXCELLENT points you make I rarely buy less than 1/2 yd as it is NEVER enough fabric... With a large print I might even do 1 yd so that I have all the beauty to work with!

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  4. TinaSeptember 4, 2010 at 1:40 PM

    Thanks for the ideas-I actually should have thought about that-it makes total sense-but sometimes my sense goes right out the door when it comes to fabric!

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  5. antique quilterSeptember 4, 2010 at 1:56 PM

    very good point Liza...me I love buying 1/2 yards just for that reason!!!!
    I want to make sure I can multiple motifs if I want them...
    ah yes Kathie fat free in NJ I wish too!!!
    now that its september I am dreaming about the mallomars that should be out soon....now don't them me that they aren't fat free

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  6. Vicky aka StichrSeptember 4, 2010 at 3:40 PM

    excellent tip/point/suggestion! thank you.

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  7. LizaSeptember 4, 2010 at 4:47 PM

    mmmmm Mallomars mmmmmmm

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  8. Ineke MSeptember 4, 2010 at 5:14 PM

    Liza thank you for your tip!
    Can annybody tell me what is MALLOMARS????

    groet Ineke from Holland

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  9. FrançoiseSeptember 4, 2010 at 5:43 PM

    Another great lesson!
    And me in Belgium am also wondering about those Mallomars : kind of marshmallows? combined with Mars?

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  10. LizaSeptember 4, 2010 at 5:52 PM

    Mallomars are cookies from my childhood. My nana lived in Brooklyn, NY and they were available only in the NY area when I was a child. You can get them most places in the North East US now but only during the cold seasons. Mallomars are dark chocolate covering a dome of marshmallow that sits on a plain vanilla cookie. It is 80 degrees outside now so there is no way the stores will have them yet.
    Kathie was very naughty to mention them before the weather gets cool.

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  11. Ann ChampionSeptember 4, 2010 at 6:38 PM

    You make a very good point Liza. I made the Princess Feather and those fronds need the longer length than a fat quarter has.
    And now I'm hungry too! :)

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  12. ShrinkieSeptember 4, 2010 at 8:58 PM

    Thanks for that Liza, I have just started collecting up Kaffe fabrics and have been buying them as regular quarters (9"x width) so i will carry on with this method! mmmmmm, Mallomars!

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  13. kim mcleanSeptember 5, 2010 at 2:37 AM

    Agree Liza, the reqular long fabric is better than the half sized one! But then I butcher the fabric pretty unmercifully, they look like a roadkill by the time all the bits have been cut out.
    Have never heard of Mallomars, just as well. No mention of chockies please - it is my downfall.
    I keep opening the fridge door in case there is a left over chocolate, even though I know there isn't! Kim McL

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  14. MiriamSeptember 5, 2010 at 5:43 AM

    Thank you for that great tip.

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  15. BrendaSeptember 5, 2010 at 11:53 AM

    I agree 150% with Liza about the quarter yards. In fact, she taught me that with my first Kaffe purchase. A student of mine is making her Dear Jane from Kaffe fabrics. (I had always wondered what people could actually do with those fabrics) After 3-4 months, thinking about her wonderful DJ, I called Liza and told her I needed some Kaffe(could not even pronounce his name) fabrics...she pulled me a great stash of quarter yards, and it's been all down hill from there:) I don't think I could really have had a grasp of the fabric design with fat quarters. Now, I'm trying really hard to learn how to use them!

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  16. RobinSeptember 5, 2010 at 9:01 PM

    Great thoughts! It really had not occurred to me, but it certainly makes sense. I guess I don't like having skinny-ish strips in my stash, so maybe half-yards might work better for me. I fold mine around a ruler a certain way and the skinny quarters would not work...

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  17. Piecefully PamSeptember 7, 2010 at 5:32 PM

    Great tip, Liza!!! Thanks for sharing. : ) I just LOVE this bloggy exchange of information and knowledge.

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