Precuts are fabrics cut to standard sizes and bundled, usually in a coordinated line. They save the work of choosing and cutting, give a balanced palette and suit quilts built from a repeated unit. The names are a shop language, and knowing what each one measures lets you plan before you buy.
The common precuts
| Name | Size | Usual count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charm pack | 5 x 5 in (13 cm) | 42 squares | Also called a five-inch square pack |
| Mini charm pack | 2.5 x 2.5 in | 42 squares | Small piecing |
| Layer cake | 10 x 10 in (25 cm) | 42 squares | Also called ten-inch squares |
| Jelly roll | 2.5 in x width of fabric | 40 strips | Rolled up; strips about 42 in long |
| Honey bun | 1.5 in x width of fabric | 40 strips | Narrow strips |
| Dessert roll | 5 in x width of fabric | 20 strips | Wider strips |
| Fat quarter | 18 x 21 in | 1 piece | A quarter yard cut squarer than a strip |
| Fat eighth | 9 x 21 in | 1 piece | Half a fat quarter |
| Turnover | 6 in half-square triangles | about 80 | For half-square triangle units |
| Jolly bar | 5 x 10 in | 42 | Half of a layer cake square |
The precuts database lists the dimensions of each so that you can check the current range, since makers vary slightly in counts and the same name can mean slightly different numbers.
Why the piece is smaller than it looks
A seam allowance of a quarter inch on each side takes half an inch from a piece in each direction. So a 5 inch charm square finishes at 4.5 inches when sewn to its neighbours, and a 2.5 inch jelly roll strip finishes at 2 inches. Plan blocks from the finished size, then add the seam allowances.
Most precuts have pinked edges, made with a zigzag blade to reduce fraying. The pinking stays within the seam allowance if you trim neatly, but it loses a little of the edge, so pieces measure slightly under the stated size. Measure one before you cut a pattern from a stack.
Matching the quilt to the precut
- Charm packs suit simple grids, four patches, nine patches and half-square triangles. A pack of 42 squares makes a lap quilt when joined with sashing.
- Layer cakes suit large blocks, such as a big pinwheel or a square-in-a-square. A single layer cake cut into charms gives four times as many 5 inch squares.
- Jelly rolls suit rail fences, log cabins, strip-pieced panels and a quick quilt called a jelly roll race. Strips are sewn end to end into a long ribbon, then sewn back and forth.
- Fat quarters are squarer than a quarter yard cut across the width, so they cut twelve 5 inch squares or several strips with little waste.
- Turnovers are pre-cut triangles for half-square triangle units, which saves the marking and cutting step.
Quantity check
A pack of 42 charm squares finishes at 4.5 inches each, about 20 square inches per piece, so the whole pack covers roughly 850 square inches. A lap quilt top of 50 x 60 inches is 3,000 square inches, which takes about four packs with no sashing. A baby quilt of 6 by 7 squares uses exactly one pack and finishes near 27 x 31.5 inches. A jelly roll gives 40 strips about 42 inches long, which is 1,680 running inches of 2 inch finished strip, enough for a lap quilt top when the strips are sewn together side by side.
The yardage calculator gives the fabric per colour and the backing, batting and binding needed for a quilt of a given finished size. The quilt size database shows the standard dimensions for baby, lap, twin and larger beds, so you can decide how many precuts to buy.
Advantages
- A curated range with fabrics that already coordinate.
- Saves cutting, which is the slowest part of piecing.
- A small outlay for a large variety of prints, good for a first quilt or a scrap look.
Drawbacks
- Less choice of colour placement, since each pack has a fixed mix.
- Usually no spare, so a miscut needs another pack.
- Cost per square inch is often higher than buying yardage.
- Pinked edges do not match perfectly.
- Do not prewash, so any shrinkage happens later.
Planning before you buy
- Decide the finished size from the quilt size database.
- Choose a block, and count how many pieces of what size it needs.
- Match the piece to a precut size, remembering the seam allowance.
- Buy one extra pack if the design is fussy, since cutting mistakes do happen.
- Buy yardage for the background, borders, backing and binding at the same time as the precuts, from one line if you can, so the colours match.
Cutting from precuts
Stack three to four squares on a mat and cut with a ruler and rotary cutter; cutting a square in half gives two rectangles, and on the diagonal two triangles. Keep the pieces in stacks by fabric and label them with a sticky note, so they do not get mixed up.