Generally when you purchase a quarter of a meter / yard off the roll you receive a long thin piece that is the width of the fabric by 25cm / 8.8in long.
A "fat quarter" is one meter / yard of fabric folded into four and cut along the folds, thus giving a squarish piece of fabric approx 50cm / 19.5in on a side.
By cutting the fabric into quarters, you get more of the pattern and a much more useable piece than you would from a traditional quarter metre / yard cut.
Fat quarters are usually used for quilting but they are also great for other projects. A fat quarter is usually more than enough fabric for making plushies / toys, handbags, hair clippies, cosmetic pouches, cushion fronts, apron pockets, bias binding... the list is endless. There are several books specifically about sewing with fat quarters, here are a couple we found, we haven't personally read them but they have good reviews.
Small Stash Sewing by Melissa Averinos
Sew Special Fat Quarter Gifts by Various Designers
- Cloud and Ky
I feel a bit stupid really...I knew what a fat quarter was but did not know why it was called 'fat'...dah! Off course it now makes sense - thanks ladies!
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