How much fabric should I buy? This question baffles many of us. The obvious answer is probably as much as you can afford, yet no one wants to be wasteful or store yards and yards in a closet somewhere…(well, I don’t mind but that’s a story for an episode of Hoarders!) I have found the best formula is to buy in multiples of ¾ of a yard.
¾ yard
- It will make two pillow fronts up to 22” square. (If you try to buy ½ yard it doesn’t give any leeway to position the design or seam allowances.
- It’s a good quantity to yield about 15 yards of bias, piping or welting
- It makes two 27” squares for a table topper or centerpiece (since almost all decorator fabric is 54” wide).
1½ yards is the ideal quantity because:
- It makes a perfect 54” square for a table cloth.
- It yields enough to make 2 ample sized pillows.
- It can be a center panel on a duvet or bedspread.
3 yards is even better because:
- It is the perfect length for a curtain.
- It is the perfect length for a panel either in the center or on the sides of a bed topper
- It is perfect to get a square topper and 2 pillows!
Buy 6 yards if you can! The perfect quantity for almost any project, curtain panels, duvet, rectangle table cloth, and round table cloths! At Chameleon we try to let you know if a fabric is older and might be discontinued. Since the recession many mills are discontinuing their fabrics sooner than pre-recession decorating. Be sure to read the tags carefully and keep fabric information so if more is needed in the future you will be able to check availability. These tips should make fabric purchasing a little less overwhelming!
Love your reasoning behind purchasing extra fabric and your formula is spot on!
Great! We’re glad it could be of help! If you ever have any questions about yardage amounts, please feel free to contact us! Hopefully this takes the guesswork out of most yardage situations 🙂