What does fat quarter mean in terms of fabric selling/buying?
A “fat” cut (called a “fat half” in this example) is when a full yard is cut off the bolt, and then this piece is cut halfway between the selvages. Now your piece has only one selvage and is 25″ w x 36″ h. This is more nearly square and is a more useable shape and size for a large piece of needlework. In both cases, your fabric has 900 square inches (50 x 18). There is also such a thing as a “fat quarter.” You guessed it. The “fat half is cut in half. Which way the cut goes is important! It must go from the selvage toward where the other selvage would have been. In our example above, a fat quarter piece is 25″ w x 18″ h. A regular quarter-yard cut would be 50″ w x 9” h. Again, the square inches are the same: 450; exactly what you would expect because 450 is half of 900. Your shop should set a price per square inch. A fat quarter or fat half should not be more expensive than a regular quarter-yard or half-yard.
