? Fat Quarters

**SewCrafty** · 03-08-2004, 08:07 AM

I just cut my 'noodles' for the swap and found out something about fat quarters.

They are NOT all 22" long!! Most of mine (that have never been cut) were between 18"-20" and sometimes that included the selvage!!

I only found 2 that were exactly 22" long.

So Kim, you are receiving more than what the noodle swap was for!

**homesteadmamma** · 03-08-2004, 08:22 AM

Dee, your absolutely right. It angers me when they sell them as fat quarters and they aren't the size they are suppose to be. Its called cheating the customer.

Even in Canada, many of the quilting stores don't cut an actual fat quarter from a metre of material. They pass the fat quarters off as a yard, when in fact the fq are cut from a metre, which is 3 inches larger than a yard.

The smart thing to do is to take a tape measure and measure BEFORE you purchase them. They may not like it, but your paying for a fq. I must say here though, that most quilting stores will cut them at 18 x 22 inches.

**canadian gardener** · 03-08-2004, 10:54 AM

thanks for that tip you two! I appreciate it. I am not a quilter but if I was to buy a fat quarter for dd say, I'd not have known to measure and I'd have been royally steamed to be cheated in such a way.

And selvedges! really! you CANT use them, in anything, they shrink up so bad, (voice of experiance using them as a prefinished seam edge! hah, pucker city), I even as a non quilter can envision the mess using a selvedge edge!

**frugalmel** · 03-08-2004, 11:41 AM

I thought it was just when I washed them that happened! Thanks for letting me know!

**SewCrafty** · 03-08-2004, 11:57 AM

Mine are washed too Melody but they wouldn't shrink 2-3 inches in the wash! If CJ hadn't been specific on the size, I still would be in the dark!

The fq's we get here are prepackaged. Fom now on I'm buyin a 1/2 yard and cutting my own that way I'll get 2 fq's for the price of 1!!

We can get a 1/2 yard of 100% cotton for $2 not on sale and a fq is $1.29 at JoAnn's.

**Sara Noel** · 03-08-2004, 01:07 PM

Dee,
Not sure if you saw my post before, but I totally agree. That's another reason why I won't be buying fq's as often as I have been. It's 1/2 yd and more for me from now on.

**frugalmel** · 03-15-2004, 03:51 PM

I think I agree with you ladies! 1/2 yard or more for me in the future!

I just went through my fq's for the noodle swap. I only had 2 that hadn't been cut (from the long end) or shrank in the wash. So I had to change my plans for what I was sending. I wanted to be sure Carolyn got the right size noodles! Not a big deal, but its aggravating anyway.

**frugalmel** · 03-18-2004, 01:37 PM

Thanks Carolyn. I was just upset that what I thought would be the right size turned out not to be. I am spoiled enough that when things don't go my way I get a little grumpy! lol.