If you’re new to quilting or sewing, you might have wondered what the deal is with beautifully packaged bundles of fabric that all seem to be named after cakes… Read on to find out what they’re for, and why they’re an excellent addition to your fabric stash!

Why go for a precut pack?

Buying a cut of each fabric of a quilting collection can feel daunting and get pretty expensive. Many shops won’t offer less than a fat quarter cut to order, so you may end up making a big outlay for more fabric than you need. A precut pack is a fantastic way to get a little bit of lots of coordinating fabrics, with just enough to build a project around. The pack has already done some of the cutting and decision work for you, so you can focus on dreaming up a brilliant design and playing around with quilt layouts! They also just look really pretty in your fabric stash…

Some fabric brands will produce precuts of all their design collections (here’s looking at you Moda), but you can also find them in solids and blender ranges such as Kona Solids. There’s a bit of variation in how precuts are named and how much fabric is contained in each pack, but here are a few popular formats to look out for that you’ll find in any good quilt shop.

Charm Packs

Charm packs are 5×5 inch (12.7 x 12.7cm) precut squares that are just the right size to be sewn together into a simple patchwork, or can be cut and stitched to create more complex quilt blocks. Although it can vary by brand, most charm packs will contain 42 squares, including one of each design in a fabric collection with a few duplicates.

If you just sewed each charm square of a 42 piece pack together, you could make a play mat (like the brilliant project shown above) or cot sized quilt, so this is a great purse and beginner friendly precut!

Jelly Rolls

A jelly roll (also called a roll up or fabric roll) is a pack of around 40 2 ½ inch x 44inch (6.35cm x 112cm) strips that have been cut across the width of the fabric. Each roll usually contains one of each design of a fabric collection, with some duplicates. A 40 piece jelly roll contains a surprising 2.5m (2.75yards) worth of fabric, so you could make a decent sized throw quilt out of one roll.

Although jelly rolls may seem a limiting shape, they’re actually incredibly versatile, and a really popular precut for quilting. You could sew each strip together to create a really quick and easy jelly roll race quilt, or strips can be cut up into smaller shapes, sewn into bargello designs or used to make log cabin blocks. The free ‘Jelly Rainbow’ pattern from Ruby Star Society is a fun and beginner friendly jelly roll project to sink your teeth into!

Layer Cakes

A layer cake usually contains 42 10×10 inch squares. Like other precut packs, layer cakes will usually contain one of each design of a fabric collection, with a few duplicates.

Just like a jelly roll, a 42 piece layer cake contains a whopping 2.5m (2.75 yds) of fabric altogether, and the large size of each square lends a lot of possibilities for cutting down into smaller shapes, or just sewing together into a simple patchwork throw.

Fat Quarter Bundle

Depending on whether metric or imperial measurements are used, a fat quarter is a quarter of a yard, or a quarter of a metre of fabric, cut as a square to make maximum use of the surface area of the fabric. Imperial fat quarters usually measure 18 x 22 inches (45 x 55cm), and metric fat quarters usually measure 50 x 55cm (19 x 22 inches)

A fat quarter bundle is pretty much what it says on the tin, although the number of pieces in a bundle can vary, as can the projects that you make with them. Fat quarters are generously enough sized that you have a lot of options to play with!

You’ll find that most fat quarters in precut bundles are 18 x 22 inches but do double check product descriptions to avoid disappointment. When we cut fabric to order at Wool Warehouse, we cut metric fat quarters, which are slightly bigger.

So there you have it, precuts are a convenient and accessible way to get started with quilting (or grow your fabric supply…). I hope this has demystified some of the terminology and inspired you to have a go!

We’d love to see what you’re up to, so don’t forget to share your makes with us using the hashtag #woolwarehousecrafters