Fat quarters (FQ) what are they and why are they so great!

When I am at markets or doing my craft fairs, I get asked all the time what is a fat quarter.

If you haven’t seen my video that I made showing this then head over to either my TikTok, Facebook or Instagram page and you can see it there, or see below!

Basically a fat quarter is a piece of fabric cut into a square instead of a rectangle and equates to a quarter of a metre of that particular fabric. When we get fabric in, it normally comes in on a bolt or a roll and then I’ll cut it down to the required amount. So if someone asks for a quarter of a metre then I’ll cut a quarter of a metre and it will work out 25cm by the length of the bolt/roll.

Instead of this, I’ll cut half a metre, turn, and cut again. I’ve now got 2 squares which measure at least 50cm x 55cm. Thus a fat quarter is born!

Fat quarters (FQ) are brilliant. They allow you to make bigger projects such as cushion covers to bucket hats! You can do so many things with them that you may not be able to do with a straight forward quarter of a metre due to the sizing, a quick internet search will give you so many ideas!

Happy stitching!