- Quilters often see fabrics they love and want to purchase, but perhaps don't have a quilt in mind yet. In these instances, most quilters recommend buying about three yards at a time. You'll keep expenses low and still have enough to do something, such as make a border.
- Measure the top and sides of the bed for which you're making the quilt. If the bed is not available (it's a gift, for example) you will have to estimate or at least find out the bed type. A queen-size bed quilt, for example, is usually 88-by-96 inches. Convert the inch measurements into yardage. For example, your 88-inch-wide quilt is 2.4 yards and the 96-inch length is 2.6 yards. Multiply the length by the width to determine the total yards of fabric you need -- 6.35 yards in this case. However, you should always round up to make sure you have enough fabric. So the width becomes 2.5 yards and the length 3 yards. This means you should purchase 7.5 total yards of fabric, just to be safe.
- Determine how many different fabrics you will be using. If you are using three colors, for example, you will need more of each fabric than if you are using five different colors. Examine your quilt pattern and find out the size and number of blocks you will be making. Determine the percentage of each color you'll need.
- Remember to purchase an equal amount of batting for the inside of the quilt and a piece of fabric equal in size to the finished quilt for the back. If your pattern is complicated, consider using an online fabric calculator. A number of quilt shops and fabric stores now offer a place for you to enter in the measurements of the blocks you need and the percentage of light and dark fabrics to determine how much of each fabric you require.
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