Fabric Yardage Converter

How big is a yard of fabric?

A yard of fabric is 36 in long, measured along the bolt, and as wide as the fabric itself. Quilting cotton is usually labeled 44 in wide, and it often has about 42 in of usable width once you trim the selvages. So one yard of quilting cotton is about 36 x 44 in, which is a little less than the top of a card table. Fabric sold on wider bolts, such as 60 in apparel fabric or 108 in quilt backing, gives you far more area for the same length.

This is the key point to remember when you compare cuts. A yard always means the same length, but it does not always mean the same amount of fabric. A yard of 60 in fabric has about 36 percent more area than a yard of 44 in fabric, so if your pattern was written for one width and you buy another, the yardage needs to change. The width box in the tool lets you see this at once in the drawing.

Fabric yardage fractions made simple

Most shops cut in steps of 1/8 yard, and each step is 4 1/2 in. That makes the common fractions easy to convert once you know the pattern. A quarter yard is 9 in, three eighths is 13 1/2 in, a half yard is 18 in, five eighths is 22 1/2 in, three quarters is 27 in, and seven eighths is 31 1/2 in. A third of a yard is 12 in, and two thirds is 24 in, even though these cannot be written neatly in eighths.

A common mistake is to treat a decimal as if it were inches. A length of 1.5 yards is 1 1/2 yards, or 54 in, and it does not mean 1 yard and 5 in. Calculators often show results such as 2.38 yards, and that is best rounded up to the next eighth, which is 2 3/8 yards. Always round up when you buy, since you will lose a little to straightening the cut edge.

Converting between yards and meters

One yard is exactly 91.44 cm, and one meter is about 1.09 yards, or 39 3/8 in. A shortcut that works in a store is to treat a meter as a little more than a yard. For patterns, it is better to use the exact conversion, particularly if the fabric is expensive, because the difference adds up across a large project. Over 5 yards, the gap between a yard and a meter is more than 15 in.

The tool converts both ways, so you can start from whichever figure you have. Enter the amount and the unit, and every other unit updates as you type. If you buy online from a seller who uses a different system, this is the easiest way to check what you are ordering. Then round up to the seller’s smallest cut.

How many fat quarters are in a yard?

There are 4 fat quarters in a yard of fabric, and 8 fat eighths. A fat quarter is a quarter of a yard cut as a rectangle of about 18 x 22 in, rather than a long, thin 9 x 44 in strip. The area is the same, but the fat quarter is far more useful for cutting larger pieces. That is why the converter shows you how many fat quarters your amount is worth.

This is handy when a pattern gives yardage and you want to use a bundle. A pattern that asks for 1 1/2 yards of a fabric is roughly equal to 6 fat quarters, as long as no single piece is too large to fit on a fat quarter. If you need to check that, the fat quarter calculator shows exactly how many pieces of a given size fit on each one, with a cutting diagram.

Working out what fabric will cost

Add a price per yard, and the tool gives the cost of your cut. It is useful for comparing a wide backing with a pieced one, or a bundle with buying yardage. Say a fabric costs 13 dollars per yard. A half yard is 6.50 dollars, and 2 3/8 yards is 30.88 dollars. Remember that shops usually sell in 1/8 yard steps, so round your cut up before you work out the price.

When you plan a whole quilt, it helps to add up all of your fabrics this way before you buy. Backing is usually the largest single cost, so check it first with the quilt backing calculator, and then see what is left in your budget for the top. If you are working with precut fabric, the precut size chart gives you the equal yardage, which makes the comparison easier.

Common yardage mistakes to avoid

The most frequent mistake is confusing length with area. When a pattern says 1/2 yard, it means a cut 18 in long, across the whole width of the fabric, and it does not mean a square. A half yard of 44 in fabric measures 18 x 44 in, which is not the same as a fat half, or any other cut of the same amount. The other mistake is forgetting to allow for straightening. A bolt is rarely cut perfectly straight, so you can lose an inch or so when you square up, and this is worth remembering for tight cuts.

Prewashing is a further trap. Cotton can shrink a few percent in both directions, so a cut that is just long enough before washing may be short afterward. Buy slightly more if you plan to prewash. Also watch for the difference between usable width and printed width when a pattern tells you how many pieces fit across the fabric. Many patterns assume 40 or 42 in. If you are working in meters, be careful not to treat a meter as a yard for large cuts, as you can see from the conversion above.