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Cutting Your Fabric

I love fabric- but I don't think that anyone will dispute the fact that fabric is expensive!  So, when I make a quilt, I am very precise in figuring out how much fabric I need, and I take the time to figure out exactly how I'm going to cut it so that I don't run out and have to buy more mid-project.  In fact, I don't even purchase fabric until I've done all of this!

Don't get discouraged though!  Since I already told you how much fabric you need for this quilt, I've already done all of that for you!

Before we start cutting, let's get our minds wrapped around what we'll be creating.  Look at this picture of a brick wall.



Some rows begin with whole bricks and some begin (and end) with half bricks.  That way the mortar joints are always offset.  In our brick wall quilt, this means that the seams will be offset, so we get that nice brick pattern, instead of a rectangular grid.  Keep this pattern in mind- and it'll be a snap!

Before you cut, be sure that your fabric is pressed.  Wrinkly fabric makes for wonky cuts, and we don't want that for this quilt.  Use the cotton setting and press your fabric (I like to use starch here to make the fabric easier to work with).  Let the weight of the iron do the work and try not to rub the fabric back and forth too much.  You can end up distorting your fabric.

So, let's talk cutting- remember when you make a quilt, the finished pieces in the quilt are always smaller than the size you cut.  A quarter inch of fabric all the way around will be taken up in the seams.  This is extremely important but easy to forget until you get the hang of it!

We want our finished bricks to be 4 x 8 inches (in the quilt), so we will need to cut bricks 4.5 x 8.5 inches for seam allowance- that gives a quarter inch all around for the seams.

For our brick quilt, we will need a total of 83 full bricks (4.5 x 8.5 inches).  (Don't worry, I counted them up to be sure!), and 14 half bricks (4.5 square)

Since you have 13 different fabrics (12 plus a neutral solid), you'll need 8 bricks from each one.  This will give us a few extra for a little wiggle room.  To make the most of your fabric, follow these cutting steps-

Cutting Fat Quarters (or FQ's for short)- here is a basic diagram showing how we'll cut the FQ's, but I still took lots of pictures of the process!




1.  Line your fabric up on your cutting mat using the selvedge as a guide.  I'm a lefty, so I line it up on the left.  Go with whatever is comfy for you!  Trim off the selvedge.



2.  Square up your FQ, trimming always from the number zero in the corner of your mat.  See how this FQ isn't squared?


Now, after it's trimmed, it will look like this-




*Once you do this, do not move your fabric.  You will have more accurate cuts if you leave it where it is and move your ruler (and maybe yourself).  I cut my fabric at the end of my dining room table (with the chairs pulled out), so I can move to the front or side of the mat.

* I have flipped the edges of my cuts so you can see them, but I didn't move them from their position on the mat.

Let's make some bricks!

3.  Cut your FQ lengthwise first at 4.5, 9, 13.5, and 18 inches, giving you long strips that are each 4.5 inches wide.  Like this-



4.  Then cut the wide side at 8.5 inches.  Like this-




Voila! You have 8 bricks!

5.  You'll have some square-ish pieces leftover.  These may or may not be able to be used as our half bricks later on.  That will all depend on how generously your FQ was cut.




If you have Quarter Yards (9 x 44 inches) cut this way- here is a basic diagram of how we'll be cutting.  Keep in mind that the two 17 inch pieces will be stacked.




1.  Lay out your fabric in the same way, lengthwise along the bottom of your mat.  Trim off the selvedge.



2.  Super long pieces of fabric are tough to deal with, so make a cut at 17 inches.

3.  Stack the remaining piece on top, and cut at 17 inches again (you're not actually cutting the first piece again).  Now you have two pieces that are 9 x 17 inches.



4.  Now cut lengthwise at 4.5 inches and 9 inches to straighten the top edge.  Like this-



5.  Make your final cut on the wide side at 8.5 inches.  Voila!  You have 8 bricks!



for a full explanation on the difference between the two cuts of fabric, click HERE.


Let's not forget about the half bricks that will go on the alternate rows!

We'll need 14 half bricks.  Use your leftover pieces first to determine whether any of those are big enough to fit the bill.  They should be 4.5 inches by 4.5 inches.  If not, choose some of your full bricks and cut them off at 4.5 inches square.

*Keep in mind that you can't simply cut the full bricks in half since you would need 9 inch bricks to give you the proper size of 4.5 x 4.5 inches.  That would not give you a proper seam allowance.

Now just repeat until you get through all of your fabric!  I don't recommend stacking more than one fabric until you get very comfortable with the process, and I don't ever recommend cutting more than a couple at a time even then.

Marvel at your lovely stack of bricks!



Have fun, quilters!


5 comments:

  1. I have a few questions:

    How big is the finished quilt?
    How many rows of bricks?
    Do I cut bricks out of my neutral fabric?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice...
    How big is the finished quilt?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks so much for this! I see that the fabric needs to be pressed, do you prewash? I've heard different things. Your quilts are so beautiful and inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad it's helpful for you Kathryn and glad you like my quilts! No, I never prewash my fabrics. I do, however, wash my quilts for the first time with several color catchers (found in the laundry aisle) to absorb any excess dye that happens to bleed out. I've never had any problems with colors running when I've done that.

      :) Kelly

      Delete

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