Thank you, Donna! That makes sense! :-)

I've never bought Riley Blake fabric but their website is quite nice and the fabric looks lovely. Yes, first choose a pattern that would give you the amount of fabric needed. I would suggest that you buy yardage if you can, unless the pattern specifically calls for precuts or fat quarters. That would give you the most options for cutting your fabric. Don't forget to order fabric for the backing and binding too. Good luck on your new venture. I hope you love it as much as I do.

I've used Riley Blake fabric, it quilt shop quality fabric.

I made a disappearing 9 patch for my first quilt. It was throw size. It took about 1 1/2 charm packs, plus the other yardage for the center block and the four other squares.

You'll have less wasted fabric if you choose a pattern first. I would suggest you get the name of the fabric line you like and look for patterns that use that fabric or similar fabrics.

Look for patterns or quilts on Google images. Most of the hits will be for Pinterest (owned by Google), but you will get an idea of what you want. It will make it easier to find a pattern. You also might try Missouri Star tutorials on Youtube for ideas of quilts you would like.

If you find something you like but can't find a pattern, come back here and tell the us what you need help with. These ladies know their quilts and were very helpful to me when I first started quilting.

When I first decided to make a quilt, I wanted to make a log cabin quilt, which is a difficult quilt to make because you have to cut and sew very carefully to get it to fit. Every quilt shop kept telling me that, and that I should try something easier for the first one. (I sewed clothing very well when I was young). I kept trying to figure out how much fabric I needed, but didn't actually have a pattern. Obviously, it didn't work.

By the way, I still haven't made a Log cabin quilt. We used to have a block lotto on this site, where we made 2 or 3 blocks, sent them in and then the hostess drew names and someone won all the blocks. Those three log cabin blocks convinced me I really didn't want to make that one.

bkay

Skip the charm packs. Many of us prewash fabric, which only works with larger pieces. Plus, you pay for cutting and packaging, so yardage is cheaper. And, as noted, from yardage you can cut any size, including borders and binding.

Thanks, Loisflan and Latifolia! :-)

I found a pattern that I really like, but I don't think the fabric that I like will look great with it. I might keep looking for another pattern.

The pattern calls for a jelly roll, a couple yard of a background color, and then the backing/binding fabric. I do like that the pattern comes with instructions for three different size quilts. I still might make this pattern later because I really like it, but I will probably use different fabric for this one.

I will look for yardage in the fabric that I like - thanks for that tip! It's available on Amazon, but I would prefer to buy from our local quilt shop. I'll give them a call and see if it's something I can pick up or if they can order it, if they don't have it.

Thanks for your help! :-)

One advantage to charm packs is that you get a good variety of coordinated prints and solids without buying yardage of each. Latafolia is correct if you are going to pre-wash. I usually do, but rarely use a pattern that calls for charm packs. (Missouri Star Quilt has lots of patterns for charm packs, as does the fat quarter shop.) You might watch one or two of Jordan Fabrics videos on Youtube, as she often mixes precuts and yardage.

I still have 3 yards of different blue fabric that I bought for that Log Cabin I never made. It's nice fabric, but I haven't made anything that works with it.

You are going to need approximately 3 yards of fabric for the front and 3 yards for the backing, plus about 1/2 yard for the binding. Of course, the more complicated the pattern (lots of pieces), the more fabric it will take.

The quilt below is my first quilt and is throw size. I gave it to my sister, and don't remember the exact size, but it finished at about 48X60. I counted the blocks and guesstimated how much fabric it took.

It took, approximately:

48 charm squares (come 42 per package)

about 1 yard of white for the center part

about 1 yard of blue for the center part

about 1/2 yard for the first border (white)

about 3/4 yard for the second border (blue)

about 1/2 yard for the binding (blue)

Then the backing took about 3 yards

I still have at least a yard of that dark blue. Of course, I can or have used the leftover white. I still have the rest of the charms as well.

Most of these ladies make lots of quilts. I only make three or four per year. They use their leftover fabrics. I haven't yet used much of my "leftovers". Since I only make a few quilts, it's usually because I saw a pattern or a quilt I want to make and buy fabric for that quilt only.

I still recommend you find a pattern and buy the fabric to make it. Don't just buy a bunch of yardage.

Don't wait too long to decide, however. Quilting fabric is like fashions, new ones come out every year and the old stuff isn't made anymore. Buy it as soon as you can for that reason.

bk

Thanks for the great advice, bk! And my apologies.....when I replied to Loisflan and Latifolia, I did not see your earlier response, or I would have said thank you to you too!

Your first quilt looks amazing! Since you used charm square for that one, you didn't pre-wash the fabric? I'm guessing if you pre-wash the pre-cut squares or strips, they might unravel?

I think that I found a pattern for the Riley Blake fabric that I like. The fabric is different novelty prints, and I think they would look good in a hexagon quilt, so you can really see the details of each one. I will try to decide soon so I can order the fabric. Thanks! :-)

If it hadn't been for this forum, I don't think I would have finished that first quilt. These ladies helped me all the way. And, no, I didn't pre-wash for that quilt.

I wanted to make an "I Spy" quilt for my grand nephew, so I joined an I Spy swap group. They required that you pre-wash fabrics. Now, I prewash most everything. I want everything to shrink as little as possible after it's finished. Unlike most people, I don't care for the "crinkly" look you get after washing a quilt. Now, I even pre-wash my batting. It doesn't solve all of it, but it helps.

I've heard that some people wet their charms with hot water and lay them out to dry. "They" say it pre-shrinks them. I haven't tried it. I just finished a quilt made with mostly fat quarters. I did pre-wash them. If you wash them in a lingerie bag, it helps with the raveling. It also contains the strings that WILL stop up your sewer line. I learned that the hard way.

Let us know if you need help. These ladies are amazing and are very kind and helpful with their advice.

bk